SHILLONG, June 20: In a major haul, police in East Jaintia Hills seized drugs and marijuana worth over Rs 15 crore and arrested nine persons who were involved in smuggling drugs into the state.
East Jaintia Hills Police on Monday received inputs about two drug peddlers — M Tuanbiaklian Guite (32) from Manipur and Imliakum Longkumer (40) from Nagaland — who were travelling in a vehicle (NL 07T 0815) carrying a consignment of illegal contraband. Subsequently, the ANTF team and police personnel from Lad Rymbai PS set up a naka near BMS fuel station in Nongsning and the vehicle was detained around 6 pm.
During the search, a total of 200 soap cases containing yellowish orange powder were found concealed in various hidden compartments in the vehicle. Preliminary test of the powder confirmed the substance to be heroin, which weighed a gross 2.738 kg.
On Wednesday, police received information from the Additional Superintendent of Police, East Jaintia Hills, B Jyrwa, about a vehicle (TR-01-BT-0265) fleeing away from Nongsning naka in high speed thereby endangering the lives of ANTF and police personnel at the naka.
The vehicle was however detained near Khliehriat PS and three occupants were detained. During the search, 57 packets weighing 251.30 kg of pressed grass were found.
Preliminary test was conducted in front of independent witnesses and it confirmed the consignment to be marijuana.
Initial interrogation revealed that the owner of the vehicle and the contraband along with his three friends were traveling in another vehicle (TR-01-BW-0231). Even this vehicle was detained at Kongong, East Jaintia Hills, and brought to Khliehriat PS
The accused persons are Joyel Das, Pronoy Mazumdar, Gaurav Gupta, Karnajit Sarkar, Sujit Sarkar, Tutan Sarkar and Sanjit Sarkar.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma commented on the seizure of the banned drugs.
“Huge haul of drugs! Narco traffickers try to ruin youth but alert @ejhpolice foiled their evil designs, nabbed two accused and seized 2.74 kg heroin worth Rs 15 crore in a well-synchronized ops at Nongspung today,” he tweeted on Monday.
The arrested persons from Tripura include Joyel Das, Mohan Mazumdar, Gaurav Gupta, Karnajit Sarkar, Sujit Sarkar, Sanjit Sarkar, and Haridas Sarkar, he said. (With PTI inputs)
