Eight persons were arrested in Tripura for their alleged involvement in cannabis smuggling. The accused persons tied packets of cannabis to evade detection. However, security personnel proved to be smarter than the smugglers.
The SST team deployed for election duty has achieved a major success on the Khowai-Teliamura road in Tripura. On Sunday evening, as part of the routine Vehicle Checking, security personnel searched a Maruti Eco van carrying passengers near the Kalyanpur block area and seized a large quantity of cannabis and several mobile phones. Later, the local police reached the spot and arrested eight youths, including two from outside the state and four from the state, and two women, and took them to the police station.
Giving details, Kalyanpur police station OC Inspector Tapas Malakar said that on the eve of the elections, vehicle checking drives were being conducted by the police and SST teams at various temporary checkpoints in the Kalyanpur police station area as usual. On Sunday afternoon, around 4:30 pm, information was received that a suspicious Maruti Eco van had been detained at a checkpoint near the Kalyanpur block on the Khowai-Teliamura road. Immediately, a large security force was rushed to the spot.
When the eight people were searched from the Maruti Eco van bearing the number TR01 BP 0695, packets of cannabis wrapped in cellophane tape were recovered from their bodies. Shockingly, during the police search, a young woman carrying cannabis on her body claimed to be a functionary of the Hepatitis Foundation of Tripura, a voluntary organization. There was a sensation in the incident of her arrest by the police while trying to smuggle cannabis by hanging the ID card of the organization around her neck.
The arrested persons have been identified as Suman Debbarma (28) (driver of the car), son of Shukromani Debbarma, resident of Subalsingh, Akash Debbarma (25), son of Jitendra Debbarma, resident of Hejamara, Joz Debbarma (20), son of Bishnu Debbarma, resident of Hejamara, Kaowsang Debbarma (23), son of Nishikumar Debbarma, resident of Tulashikhar, Amrita Debbarma (20), daughter of Khokon Debbarma, resident of Tulashikhar, Khumbar Debbarma (20), son of Girindra Debbarma, resident of Borkanthali, Rohit Kumar (24), son of Lal Bahadur, resident of Bihar, and Rakesh Kumar (19), son of Rajkumar, resident of Bihar. 13 kg of dry packet cannabis and seven mobile phones were recovered from them.
It is learned that the smugglers stored the cannabis in the rented house of a resident of Khowai Lalchhara area this morning and tied it to their bodies with cellophane tape. They were arrested at the checkpoint while on their way to Teliamura railway station to smuggle it out of the state on the evening train on Sunday.
For a long time, there have been serious allegations of various immoral activities taking place in the hideouts of tenants of the tribal community in Khowai. After the arrest of eight people with cannabis in Kalyanpur today, their statements have confirmed the truth of the long-standing allegations.
The police said that in view of the incident, the Kalyanpur police station registered a case under the NDPS Act and is investigating.