Five supari smugglers, including 3 from Assam arrested
IMPHAL: A total of five alleged smugglers – three from Assam, one from Rajasthan, and one from Manipur – were arrested on charges of smuggling dried betel nuts during a mobile search and checking at the Leingangpokpi police post along NH-37 connecting Imphal. in Manipur with Silchar in Assam.
The smuggled goods, worth about Rs 1 lakh in the local market, were smuggled from Myanmar through India’s last frontier town of Moreh in the Manipur region, packed in 450 gunny bags and carried in two Tatas plying from Imphal to Silchar were transported in trucks.
Manipur police said two drivers of the vehicles and three helpers were taken into custody on Wednesday in this connection.
Based on an intelligent input provided by 39 Assam Rifles, Jiribam Police Station and Special Mobile Patrol Unit, Jiribam in Manipur, a team from Jiribam launched the operation and seized 450 bags of dried betel nut (Supari) from two Tata trucks bound for Silchar Recovered. Assam.
On checking both the trucks, the Manipur Police recovered 234 bags of dried betel nuts from one truck and 216 bags from the other truck.
On interrogation of those arrested, the police found that the smuggled goods were first transported from Moreh in Manipur and then kept in a godown at Sugnu in Kaching district.
And finally, at an appropriate time, the items were being illegally transported to Silchar in the Cachar district of Assam.
The alleged smugglers have been identified as Azim Uddin Barbhuya (28) of Assam, Anwar Hussain (25) of Assam, Saidul Hussain Talukdar (31) of Assam, Khushd Khan (47) of Rajasthan and Dichmadhai Panmei (26) of Manipur .
Manipur Police said that all the arrested persons along with the seized goods and seized vehicles are now in police custody pending necessary legal proceedings.
