Patna, June 26 (IANS) In a significant crackdown in Bihar on narcotics trafficking, the Kishanganj Police, in collaboration with the Special Task Force (STF), arrested two individuals near the railway station on Thursday and seized one kg heroin from their possession, an official said.

The estimated market value of the seized substance is around Rs 1 crore.

Kishanganj Superintendent of Police Sagar Kumar described the seizure and arrest a major achievement, stating that the joint team has successfully busted an inter-state drug trafficking network.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Baliram Chaurasia, a resident of Shivrampur, Ballia district (Uttar Pradesh) and Lalita Devi, a resident of Muzaffarpur district (Bihar).

According to SP Sagar Kumar, the police acted on specific intelligence input about the smuggling of banned substances through the district.

A special team led by SDPO-1 Gautam Kumar was constituted to monitor suspicious activity in the area.

“The team intensified surveillance near the railway station, where they spotted the two suspects. Upon searching them, we recovered the banned substance,” said SP Kumar.

During questioning, the accused revealed that they were tasked by a person from Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh) to travel to Manipur and smuggle heroin back.

The arrested individuals were en route from Manipur when they were apprehended in Kishanganj, Bihar.

“At this point, we are withholding the name of the person who assigned them this task due to an ongoing investigation,” added the SP.

A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the Town Police Station of the district against them.

The police are now working to identify and apprehend other members of the smuggling network. A team will soon go to Ratlam to apprehend the kingpin of the racket.

The district police are also verifying how they obtained heroin in Manipur.

SP Sagar Kumar emphasised that the crackdown on drug trafficking will continue, and such operations are part of a larger campaign to curb the illegal narcotics trade in the region.

–IANS

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