Arunachal: 2 youths held for peddling drugs in Itanagar

Itanagar: The police on Saturday arrested two youths who were allegedly involved in consumption and peddling of drugs in the Capital Complex area.

According to the police, one of the accused, Sosar Punung (21), is the son-in-law of Congress’s Palin MLA candidate and former minister Takam Pario, while the other Bengia Rigia (20) is the son of People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) president Khafa Bengia.

Addressing media persons at the Itanagar police station, Capital superintendent of police Tumme Amo informed that, following inputs, he, along with Itanagar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Dekio Gumja and a team of police personnel arrested Punung from the residence of Pario in Vivek Vihar while Rigia was picked up from his house in Mowb–II here.

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Speaking to media persons, SP Amo said that his team seized around 31.29 grams of banned substance (heroin) from Punung while the same substance of around 5 grams (total drugs amounting to Rs 3 lakh) was seized from Rigia.

An amount of Rs 61,000 and a couple of mobile phones have also been seized from the duo, Amo said.

During our checking at night, we caught a few drug takers who gave us inputs of two persons selling the banned substance in the Capital. Accordingly our sources were activated and we arrested the duo from their respective residents, the SP said while adding that a case under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 would be filed against them.

Amo also said that both Punung and Rigia have been active in terms of peddling drugs on individual grounds.

“The banned substances are brought from Shillong and sometimes from Banderdewa. Even Khafa Bengia has admitted that his son is into drugs and he has many a times tried rehabilitating him but the same was futile,” the SP said.

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SDPO Gumja said that the banned substances are normally sold in mini glass pendants and the same may cost around anywhere between Rs 1500 to 5000 depending upon the demand.

Both Amo and Gumja have, meanwhile, requested those involved into consumption of drugs and other harmful substances to shun the habit.

“This may cost their lives, hamper their future and is also not good for the society,” they said.