Tripura police, BSF foil drug-smuggling attempts; three Bihar women held

Tripura Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) carried out separate operations on August 20, recovering around 25 kg of dried ganja and 525 bottles of suspected contraband cough syrup in two districts. Three women from Bihar were arrested in connection with the ganja seizure.

Police personnel from East Agartala Police Station and College Tilla Police Outpost detained the three women at Jogendranagar Railway Station after allegedly noticing them handling their bags suspiciously. They were identified as Pinky Kumar, Riku Devi and Munakia Devi.

A search of their luggage led to the recovery of several packets containing approximately 25 kg of dried ganja, police said. During preliminary questioning, the women allegedly told investigators that the consignment was being transported to Bihar.

The Officer-in-Charge of East Agartala Police Station said a case would be registered under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Investigators are also probing the source of the ganja and the possible involvement of others in the suspected trafficking network.

In a separate operation in Sepahijala district, the BSF's 81 Battalion, working with Sonamura Police, recovered 525 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup from the Matinagar border area.

Acting on intelligence inputs, BSF personnel conducting patrols near the barbed-wire fencing spotted suspicious items concealed in a forested area. A subsequent joint search with the police led to the recovery of the bottles, which were taken to Sonamura Police Station.

Sonamura Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tapas Das put the estimated market value of the seized consignment at around Rs 5 lakh.

Preliminary investigation suggests the cough syrup had been hidden near the border fencing for later movement across the international border into Bangladesh. Police have launched an investigation to identify those allegedly involved in the suspected smuggling attempt.