Agartala, Dec 16 : Tripura Police on Sunday seized a large consignment of Yaba (methamphetamine) tablets near Kumarghat Railway Station in Unakoti district, dealing a significant blow to an inter-state drug trafficking network, officials said.
Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted a woman travelling by train from Silchar in Assam to Tripura and recovered 26,000 Yaba tablets, weighing about two kg and valued at around Rs 1.5 crore in the illegal market. The accused was detained about 200 metres from Kumarghat Railway Station during a search operation.
“The police team was immediately dispatched and conducted a search operation in and around Kumarghat Railway Station. Upon searching her, the police recovered 26,000 Yaba tablets,” Unakoti district Superintendent of Police Sudambika R said.
The arrested woman has been identified as Alia (Aliya) Khatun (49), a resident of Boxanagar in Sepahijala district. She will be produced before a court under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, police said, adding that an investigation is underway to trace the source of the narcotics and identify others involved in the network.
In another operation, Tripura Police arrested three women drug peddlers from Dharmanagar Railway Station in North Tripura district and seized 220 packets of Yaba tablets worth about Rs 2.5 crore, officials said.
“Based on intelligence inputs, police have managed to arrest three suspected women drug peddlers from Dharmanagar Railway Station,” North Tripura district Superintendent of Police Avinash Roy said.
The arrested persons were identified as Mafia Begum (55) of Sonamura, Aafiya Begum (58) of Kakrabon and Ankuri Bibi (40) of Sepahijala district. During interrogation, they revealed that the contraband was sourced from Assam and was to be delivered to a drug smuggler in the Sonamura area of Sepahijala district, Roy said.
In a separate crackdown on narcotics, police in Dhalai district seized 1.836 kg of heroin and 10,000 Yaba tablets, estimated to be worth Rs 2.5 crore, after intercepting a vehicle at the Upanagar Naka checkpoint under Ambassa Police Station. Three persons were arrested in the operation.
“Acting swiftly, police teams set up surveillance and intercepted the vehicle at the Upanagar Naka checkpoint. The seized contraband is estimated to be worth around Rs 2.5 crore on the black market,” Sub-Divisional Police Officer Nirupam Datta said.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify the wider network involved in the trafficking operations.
