Assam Authorities Seize Rs 2.10 Crore Heroin; Three Arrested
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Silchar, April 5 (NationPress) In a significant development in the fight against drug trafficking, troops from the Assam Rifles, in collaboration with Assam Police, executed a rapid intelligence-led operation in Silchar, resulting in the confiscation of heroin worth Rs 2.10 crore, officials reported on Saturday.
During this operation, three individuals, including a woman, were arrested. According to Defence spokesperson Lt Col Mahendra Rawat, the operation took place in the Meherpur area of Cachar district after suspicious activity was observed.
The suspects made an effort to escape from the security personnel, which led to a brief pursuit before their vehicle was successfully stopped. The coordinated efforts of the joint team resulted in the recovery of 30 soap cases containing heroin, with a total weight of around 349 grams, valued at approximately Rs 2.10 crore.
The confiscated drugs and the arrested suspects have been turned over to the police for further investigation.
The individuals apprehended have been identified as Apu Saha, Parimal Das, and Manju Rani Biswas Datta, all hailing from different districts in Tripura.
A case has been filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Assam Police suspects that the drugs were smuggled from Myanmar, entering southern Assam through Mizoram, and are believed to be intended for trafficking to Bangladesh or other regions within India. Southern Assam shares a 164.6-km inter-state border with Mizoram, making it a crucial route for drug transit.
Mizoram, in turn, has a 510-km-long unfenced international border with Myanmar and a 318-km-long porous mountainous border with Bangladesh, making the region particularly susceptible to cross-border drug smuggling and other illicit activities.
The Chin State of Myanmar is recognized as a major center for the trafficking of narcotics, arms, exotic wildlife, foreign-made cigarettes, Myanmar areca nuts (betel nuts), and various other contraband.
Commonly trafficked substances from Myanmar include methamphetamine tablets, often referred to as Yaba or “party tablets.”
These tablets, notorious for their mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine, are strictly prohibited in India.