Silchar: Assam Police seized heroin worth around Rs 18 crore and arrested four men from Ishancherra under the Ramakrishnanagar police station in south Assam’s Karimganj district on Thursday night.
One of the men arrested was injured in police firing.
Karimganj superintendent of police, Padmanabh Baruah, told reporters on Friday that the drugs consignment was seized around 11 pm on Thursday, when a team of cops led by an additional superintendent of police stopped a Tata Sumo in Ishancherra, about 6km from Ramakrishnanagar police station, and searched it. The police found 175 soap cases containing heroin (weighing around 2,275 grams) hidden inside the vehicle. The market value of the seized contraband is about Rs. 18 crore, Baruah said.
The Police arrested four men in the vehicle. They were identified as Jakir Hussain (30), Nurul Islam (30), Sahid Ahmed (22) and Hussain Ahmed Khan (47). All of them are from the Karimganj district.
Jakir hails from Keuti, Part-I in Patharkandi, while Nurul and Sahid are the residents of Achimganj, Patharkandi and Dalgram, Ratabari respectively. Hussain belongs from East Tongibari in Ratabari, he said.
The SP said Jakir, who he claimed is a regular drug trafficker, told the police during interrogation that another drug consignment was concealed in Kalinagar tea estate. He then took the cops to that place. After reaching there, Jakir attacked a police constable and tried snatching his rifle, following which, the police fired one bullet in the air as a “warning”, but Jakir did not stop. Later, he was shot in the lower portion of his body. He was sent to a hospital, which referred him to be taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH), the SP said.
A police source said the consignment of drugs was coming from Mizoram’s Aizawl and was to be transported to a secret place in Patharkandi. The apprehended were grilled by cops for long hours on Thursday night and again on Friday to find out more details about rackets running an illegal drug trade in Barak Valley.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and director general of police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta tweeted about the seizure of drugs on Friday morning expressing contentment over the Karimganj police’s success.
Himanta’s tweet said – Another breakthrough in @assampolice’s drive against drugs. In a day-long operation, @karimganjpolice seized 2.275 kg of Heroin packed in 175 soap cases, hidden in a compartment of a Tata Sumo coming from a neighbouring state. Four accused apprehended.
The DGP’s tweet said – Assam Police continues to cause huge losses to the drug cartels, every single day! Yesterday was no different. Heroin worth at least Rs.18 Crores (2.275 KG) was seized by @karimganjpolice from RK Nagar PS.
His other Tweet said: “The drug consignment was coming from Aizwal, carefully hidden in 4 secret chambers in a Tata Sumo. The vehicle along with 4 suspected paddlers have been detained so far.”
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