Yaba tablets worth Rs 20 lakh seized in Tripura border village, one arrested

Tripura Police, in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), seized yaba tablets worth over Rs 20 lakh from a border-adjacent village in North Tripura district, leading to the arrest of one person, police said on January 12.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the operation was carried out late Sunday night in the Ichhaipara area under Kadamtala Police Station, close to the India–Bangladesh border. The raid was conducted jointly by personnel of the 97th Battalion of the BSF, based at Yakubnagar, and Kadamtala Police.

During a search at the residence of local resident Taj Uddin, the team recovered 1,929 yaba tablets packed in 10 packets. Police also seized four mobile phones, Rs 77,910 in Indian currency and 1,577 Bangladeshi taka from the premises.

Police said that sensing the raid, the house owner Taj Uddin managed to flee the spot. However, one person identified as Nizam Uddin (41), a resident of Ward No. 5 under Bhagyapur Gram Panchayat, was arrested from the scene.

Kadamtala Police Station Second Officer-in-Charge Remulas Sangma said the estimated black market value of the seized yaba tablets is around Rs 20.29 lakh. He added that a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is being registered and efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused.

“The arrested person, along with the seized contraband, cash and mobile phones, will be produced before the Dharmanagar District and Sessions Court,” Sangma said.

Meanwhile, local residents alleged that the border areas have long been used as transit routes for drug trafficking. Police have assured that surveillance along the border belt will be intensified and sustained operations will be carried out to curb cross-border narcotics smuggling.