Aizawl, June 10 (IANS) Mizoram Police, in two separate operations conducted over the past 24 hours, arrested three drug peddlers, including two residents of Rajasthan, and seized narcotic substances worth an estimated Rs 2.35 crore, officials said on Wednesday.

A senior police official said that a vehicle travelling from Manipur towards Aizawl was intercepted by police personnel in Saitual district on the outskirts of Keifang. The vehicle was being driven by Somraj (32). During a thorough inspection, police recovered 71 packets of suspected opium fluid concealed inside various compartments of the vehicle.

The contraband was seized from the possession of two drug peddlers, identified as Somraj (36) and Kailash (28), both residents of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The seized contraband weighed 45.871 kg and is estimated to have a market value of Rs 2.29 crore.

In another operation, Mizoram Police personnel on duty at the Khankawn Check Gate in Champhai district intercepted a vehicle travelling from the border town of Champhai towards Aizawl.

During the inspection, one passenger, identified as Vanlalnghaka (36), currently residing in Vengsang, Champhai district, aroused suspicion of carrying contraband substances in his belongings. Acting on the suspicion, the police conducted a detailed search of his black rucksack. Inside the bag, they found a pair of red Reebok shoes. Upon closer examination, police recovered two soap cases containing suspected heroin concealed inside the shoes.

The seized heroin weighed 29 grams and had an estimated market value of Rs 6 lakh.

Police registered two separate cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, at Saitual and Champhai police stations. Further investigation into both drug seizure cases is currently underway.

Myanmar’s Chin state has long been regarded as a major transit hub for the smuggling of narcotics, exotic wildlife species and various other contraband items into India through six Mizoram districts — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip.

Officials have repeatedly expressed concern that Mizoram and Manipur have emerged as major drug trafficking corridors in Northeast India because of their extensive and porous international borders with Myanmar. The difficult-to-monitor frontier has facilitated the movement of narcotics and other illegal goods across the border, posing significant challenges to law enforcement agencies in the region.

–IANS

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