The Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB), Manipur arrested two drug peddlers, including one from Uttar Pradesh, on two different occasions and seized brown sugar worth about Rs 50 lakh in local market. The amount of brown sugar seized could cost about Rs 5 crore in the international market once it is refined, said NAB SP, K Meghchandra during a press conference held on Thursday at NAB office, 1st Manipur Rifles campus, Imphal.
The SP said that one drug peddler was held from the foothills along Imphal-Ukhrul road near Gwaltabi area on Wednesday. He was identified as one Vareihao Tinphei, 62, son of (Late) Zurrei Tinphei of Shangshak Phunghon village, Ukhrul district. The other was arrested from Mantripukhri area on Thursday and was identified as Anil Kumar Gupta, 49, son of Rain Gopal Gupta of 49 Rohiti Tola, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
He continued that Tinphei was nabbed when two teams of NAB went towards the foothills along Imphal-Ukhrul road for surveillance of suspected poppy and ganja cultivation on Wednesday afternoon. During the surveillance, one Alto Car bearing registration number WB-02Q-7488 was seen coming towards Imphal at Gwaltabi foothill area. Due to suspicious nature, the vehicle was stopped and checked and a black polythene bag containing 10 packets of suspected brown sugar were found.
Accordingly, a testing kit and weighing machine were called and when tested the articles were found to be brown sugar, weighing approximately 5 kg. He was arrested and the brown sugar was seized along with the Alto Car and other incriminating items including his mobile phone on spot verification, Meghachandra said.
On further examination Tinphei revealed that the suspected contraband brown sugar was delivered to him by three persons in the Manipur-Nagaland border. He took it to Ukhrul district and tried to sell it at Imphal at an opportune time, he added.
Further investigation is going on to establish the chain of drug trafficking and to arrest other associates, and a case has been registered at NAB Police Station, Manipur, the officer said.
The SP continued that the other person Anil was apprehended along with about 1 kg of brown sugar from his possession, which was concealed in a white flower pot.
Anil revealed that he has been regularly indulging in drug business and part of an inter-state drug trafficking gang whose top leader is presently in Uttar Pradesh. A case has been registered at NAB Police Station, Manipur for further investigation, Meghachandra said.
Manipur is a state close to the Golden Triangle, sharing a porous border with numbers of alternative routes in Manipur connecting Myanmar. Hence, smugglers have the advantage to avoid the routes that have security posts, he added.
The SP appealed to the people to inform police if any suspected drug dealers are present in their areas.
