Guwahati: Three men were arrested on a highway that connects Assam’s Silchar in Cachar to Mizoram with a massive consignment of suspected Burmese areca nuts commonly known as Burmese supari.
A source speaking about the seizure informed that the men had allegedly attempted to smuggle in the suspected Burmese areca nuts in a spirit tanker truck affiliated with Bharat Petroleum.
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The source added that the tanker truck was stopped on suspicion by the police and on checking the truck, they found at least 7 tonnes of nuts inside the tanker. The police had to cut open the tank to recover the nuts.
The three men, who were believed to be smugglers, were questioned and their vehicle was seized immediately after the police found reasonable evidence, the source said.
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The three men were arrested on suspicion of smuggling and the police are now investigating the case further to gain more details about the incident.
The police also believe that this may be part of a larger smuggling ring that is operating in the region.