Silchar: Police in Bazaricherra, southern Assam’s Karimganj district, seized Burmese cigarettes, biscuits, and other materials from a night luxury bus on Sunday night.
The items were reportedly being transported to Ladrymbai, Meghalaya.
Bazaricherra police station’s officer-in-charge, Chiranjit Kumar Bora, said the items were seized during a routine check.
“A night bus was stopped at a police checkpoint in Bazaricherra, about 102 km from Silchar town, while on its way to Guwahati. The police searched the bus and found unclaimed sacks containing Burmese cigarettes (240 packets), Burmese biscuits (18 packets), Mikko powder (208 packets), and soft drink bottles (120 bottles). The market value of the items is estimated to be around Rs 2 lakh. The items were taken to Bazaricherra police station for further investigation,” the officer said.
Officer Bora told EastMojo on Monday that an initial investigation has found that a man had loaded the items on the bus and told the driver that a person would collect the items in Ladrymbai, Meghalaya. “The man who loaded the items on the bus did not give any receipt or challan regarding the items to be transported,” Bora said.
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According to sources, a man loaded the seized items onto the bus in Putiyakhal village, located in the Ichabeel tea estate in Karimganj district. The police are currently investigating the case and working to track down all those involved in the smuggling of the items.
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It should be noted that complaints about the smuggling of Burmese cigarettes and other imported cigarettes through the Karimganj district have been received from various sources over the years. Some people claim that a racket has been operating this illegal trade with the help of a section of the police and political leaders. These concerned individuals have called for a crackdown on this unlawful trade and have requested intervention from chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
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