Assam: 60-year-old man held with 28 kg ganja in Dibrugarh

Tinsukia: A 60-year-old man was allegedly arrested with 28 kg of ganja (cannabis) kept hidden at his residence in the heart of Dibrugarh town in Assam. The arrest of the accused on Thursday has exposed an inter-state link in the drug menace prevailing in upper Assam.

Speaking with this correspondent, Chabua police station officer-in-charge Tulumoni Duarah said: “It has been revealed in the preliminary investigation that the ganja was procured from Dimapur. They use oil tankers to ferry ganja from Dimapur and Tripura to various parts of upper Assam.”

“Based on a lead during interrogation of an accused, Papu Das, who was earlier arrested with 4 kg of ganja in Chabua, we conducted a joint raid at the residence of Shah in Dibrugarh and recovered almost 28 kg of ganja,” Duarah said, adding: “Shah has been arrested under various sections of the Narcotics Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).”

Shah, allegedly a wholesaler of ganja, is into the illegal trade for almost 10 years now, said the police.

According to sources, he revealed to police that he has a network spreading across various districts of upper Assam for taking the banned drug to his end customers. “If this case is thoroughly investigated, a complete racket involved in selling the drugs to youth can be busted,” added sources.

Sources said, it is not for the first time an inter-state link has surfaced in drug peddling cases. “Why is it that the police are not able to bust the entire gang and reach the suppliers instead of merely arresting a few here and there, who often get out on bail and start peddling drugs? It’s high time the central agencies should be given the job to take over the drug cases as it involves an inter-state investigation,” the sources added.

There has been a steep surge in supply of various narcotics product including Ganja, Brown Sugar and Heroine in most urban towns of upper Assam, particularly, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts with drug mafia’s having deep-rooted links beyond one state.

However, of late, the drug peddlers have reportedly made in roads in rural and village belts, posing a serious concern.

Meanwhile, the police will present the accused before a local court on Friday along with the seizure valued at Rs 5 lakh in the international market.

In another operation, a joint team of police led by deputy superintendent of police (provisional) of Dibrugarh Anup Jyoti Borah, officer-in-charge of Lahowal police station Anupam Gowala and Dibrugarh police station conducted a raid at Changmai Gaon under Lahowal police station and apprehended a 26-year-old drug peddler, Pranjal Hazarika, and recovered 6.30 gms suspected heroin and 21.52 grams suspected brown sugar besides Rs 5,600 cash.

A thorough search of his house also led to recovery of 11 cartons of illicit Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL).

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