Police in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir have busted an inter-state narcotics and illegal-arms syndicate with operational links across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, arresting 10 people, including the alleged leaders of the Gataru gang, officials said on Friday, November 13. The action came in FIR No. 146/2026 registered at Police Station Vijaypur under the NDPS Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act.
Source: Kashmir Independent Media Service (KIMS), Nov 13, 2026
The case began on August 22, 2026, when a police party at AIIMS Naka, Vijaypur, intercepted a Swift car (registration JK21J-3391) during routine checking and allegedly recovered 9.08 grams of a heroin-like substance and a pistol from its driver, Sourab Baloria of Vijaypur. The SSP Samba then constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by DSP Headquarters Samba, to trace the wider network, a J&K Police spokesman said.
Source: The Legitimate / J&K Police spokesman, Nov 13, 2026
Gang leaders traced to Meerut
Police said sustained technical analysis and human intelligence established Baloria's alleged role as a logistical facilitator for the Gataru gang, headed by Vijaypur brothers Sourav Gupta and Gaurav Gupta. In a joint operation, Samba Police, assisted by Uttar Pradesh Police, traced and arrested Sourav Gupta, Gaurav Gupta and their associate Rohit Baloria from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The three were allegedly sheltering at the Meerut residence of Mohd Maaz, who police said provided them shelter and logistical support and has also been booked in the case. These are police allegations in an ongoing investigation; the accused have not been convicted.
Source: Kashmir Horizon, Nov 13, 2026
Four alleged associates from Ajnala, Amritsar
The investigation also identified four alleged Punjab-based associates — Manmohit Singh, Sahib Singh, Vikram Bhardwaj alias Vicky Star and Jagdeep Kaur, all residents of Gopal Nagar, Ajnala, in Amritsar district — who police allege facilitated the procurement, movement and supply of narcotics and illegal weapons and provided logistical and financial support to the network. Police said further leads point to the alleged procurement of weapons through intermediaries linked to the Punjab-Haryana-based Ghanashyampuria gang.
Source: Kashmir Independent Media Service (KIMS), Nov 13, 2026
Police also named Vivek Kumar, a resident of Hanumannagar, Sitamarhi in Bihar who was living in Vijaypur and working at Ravi Fast Food; police allege the eatery's premises were used to shelter gang associates and facilitate financial transactions. Officers said they recovered two country-made pistols, five live 9mm cartridges and 8.37 grams of a heroin-like substance from Kumar. A financial investigation found alleged transactions exceeding Rs 1 crore between the gang leaders and other members of the network.
Source: The Legitimate / J&K Police spokesman, Nov 13, 2026
After the Meerut arrests, police said they recovered two pistols, 12 live 9mm cartridges, one country-made weapon, 23 grams of gunpowder, 113 pellets, four pellet caps and about 10.21 grams of heroin from behind AIIMS Vijaypur, near the Devak river, on the disclosures of the arrested accused. In total, police reported recovering five pistols, one country-made weapon, 27.66 grams of heroin, 17 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 23 grams of gunpowder, 113 pellets and four pellet caps during the investigation. Police said further investigation is underway to identify other members and dismantle the syndicate's alleged supply chains, arms-procurement channels and financial infrastructure.
Source: Kashmir Independent Media Service (KIMS), Nov 13, 2026