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Jammu and Kashmir Police have uncovered an alleged conspiracy in which a man reportedly tried to implicate his former girlfriend's husband in a drug case by arranging for a parcel containing narcotics to be delivered to his home in Ganderbal district.

The case emerged after police received information about a suspected drug consignment being sent to a poultry farmer in Safapora. A police team intercepted the parcel when it was delivered and recovered cocaine, charas and diclofenac tablets.

The poultry farmer was initially arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. However, during questioning, investigators began to suspect that he may have been deliberately targeted and was not involved in the alleged drug offence.

Saudi Number Leads Police To Suspected Conspiracy

Investigators found that the poultry farmer had received calls and messages from a Saudi Arabia-based number concerning the parcel. When questioned about the number, the man told police that he had previously received a call from the same number warning him against marrying the woman he later married.

"It was a turning point in our investigations. We questioned the woman who helped us to reach the culprit and how the plot was orchestrated," a police officer told NDTV. The investigation subsequently led police to Tariq Ahmad Sofi, a resident of Zainakote in Srinagar, who was arrested.

According to the police, Tariq confessed to allegedly orchestrating the plan with the assistance of his friend Areeb, who is based in Kanpur.

"Tariq has confessed that it was he who asked his friend Areeb in Kanpur to send a shipment so that the husband of his girlfriend is implicated in a false drug case," an officer said.

Police said Areeb has since fled to Saudi Arabia and suspect that the Saudi number used in the alleged conspiracy belonged to him.

Parcel Allegedly Routed Through Kanpur

Investigators believe Tariq initially sent the package to Kanpur and subsequently asked Areeb to forward it to Safapora in Ganderbal.

"It appears that Tariq may have sent a shipment to Kanpur first then asked his friend Areeb to dispatch the same to Safapora in Ganderbal district. Charas recovered from shipment is clearly local. It's not clear if Areeb knew that the packet contained drugs," an officer said.

Police are now trying to establish whether Areeb knew that the parcel contained narcotics.

The poultry farmer was allegedly persuaded to accept the courier after being told that it contained samples of poultry feed. Around the same time, police received information about a drug consignment being delivered to him.

Investigators believe the alleged plan was designed to make the poultry farmer face serious criminal charges.

"It was not an easy case. The plot was so carefully orchestrated. Initially, we were convinced that poultryman was a drug peddler and may well be the part of a larger interstate drug cartel. The accused managed to dispatch a courier from Kanpur containing narcotics disguised as poultry-feed samples to the poultry farmer. It was sheer luck and some professional investigation that the case took a turn," the officer said.

Woman's Call Records Help Uncover Alleged Plot

Police sources said the woman continued to remain in contact with Tariq even after her marriage.

Investigators examined her call detail records, which eventually provided a crucial lead in the case and helped them trace the alleged conspiracy.

"It was based on the call details of the woman that she gave the information about Tariq and the whole plot was unearthed," an officer said.

The case comes amid a wider crackdown on drugs in Kashmir. People arrested under the NDPS Act are frequently booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), while authorities have also demolished houses and properties allegedly linked to drug peddlers in several cases.