Tripura police busted a drug racket on Monday and arrested three persons and seized 1.3 kilogram of heroin from their possession at Churaibari in North Tripura district. The value of the drugs is estimated to be approximately Rs 10 crore.
The three accused have been identified as Abdul Ali, Shyamal Krishna Das and Prasenjit Das -- all residents of Tripura's Sepahijala district.
"To make Tripura drug free, 16 special 24x7 'nakas' (check posts) started functioning in the state with effect from August 19, 2023. Due to effective naka duty, this early morning, 1.3 kilogram of heroin could be seized in Churabari. Three accused arrested. Cost of the seized drug is approximately Rs 10 crore. Such action will continue," North Tripura District Police stated in a post on X, previously Twitter.
Speaking to ABP Live, North Tripura Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhanupada Chakroborty said the consignment of heroin originated from Myanmar and was being transported to the state through neighbouring Mizoram and Assam.
"Today, at around 6am, personnel of the Churaibari police station intercepted a Tata Sumo and on thorough checking, the contraband item was recovered from secret chambers of the vehicle," Chakroborty said.
"The accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). There are 16 nakas functioning in the state and the Churaibari naka is one of them. These nakas are working round the clock to ensure that no smuggling activities take place in the state," SP Chakroborty further said.
There has been an increase in smuggling activities in Tripura through the porous and unfenced borders of neighbouring Myanmar, with a rise in seizure of contraband items like narcotic drugs, dried areca nuts, gold, Burmese cigarettes, and exotic wild animals besides other contraband items, a wildlife activist told ABP Live.
Smuggled items also get their way into the state from Assam and Mizoram.