Jammu, Feb 13: A cattle smuggler known to be a repeat offender was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, officials said.
The detention of Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Shah Mohalla in the district, under the Public Safety Act (PSA) followed an order issued by District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar Sharma, they said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act is a preventive detention law allowing authorities to detain individuals without trial for up to two years to prevent them from acting against the “security of the state” or “public order”.
Kishtwar SSP Naresh Singh said the detention was carried out on the basis of a detailed dossier prepared by police, highlighting the accused’s repeated involvement in cattle smuggling cases.
“The accused is a habitual and repeat offender who continued to indulge in unlawful activities despite being booked in multiple FIRs. Preventive detention under the PSA became necessary to stop him from acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order,” the SSP said.
Officials said the district magistrate examined the records and observed that ordinary law had failed to deter the accused, who allegedly secured bail on several occasions and resumed illegal activities.
The PSA warrant of detention was executed by Inspector Vikram Singh, and the accused has been lodged in the district jail in Bhaderwah, they said.
Authorities said the detention aims to dismantle the cattle smuggling networks operating in the region and serve as a deterrent to anti-social elements.
