IMPHAL: A total of five alleged smugglers – three from Assam, one from Rajasthan, and another one from Manipur – were arrested on the charge of smuggling dried betel nuts locally called supari during a mobile frisking and checking at Leingangpokpi police outpost along NH-37 connecting Imphal in Manipur with Silchar in Assam.
The smuggling items, worth around Rs 1 lakh in the local market, smuggled from Myanmar through Moreh, India’s last border town in the Manipur sector, were packed in 450 gunny bags and transported in two Tata trucks plying from Imphal to Silchar.
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In this connection, two drivers and three handymen of the vehicles were detained on Wednesday, the Manipur police said.
Based on an intelligent input provided by the 39 Assam Rifles, a team of Jiribam police station and Special Mobile Patrol Unit, Jiribam in Manipur launched the operation and recovered 450 gunny bags of dried betel nuts (supari) from two Tata trucks bound for Silchar, Assam.
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Upon checking the two trucks, Manipur police recovered 234 gunny bags of dried betel nuts from one truck and 216 gunny bags from the other.
On questioning the arrested persons, police found that the smuggling items were transported from Moreh in Manipur first and then stored at a godown at Sugnu in the Kakching district.
And finally, at an opportune time, the items were being illegally transported to Silchar in the Cachar district of Assam.
The alleged smugglers have been identified as Ajim Uddin Barbhuya (28) from Assam, Anowar Hussain (25) from Assam, Saidul Hussain Talukdar (31) from Assam, Khushed Khan (47) from Rajasthan and Dichamdhai Panmei (26) from Manipur.
All the arrested persons along with the seized items and impounded vehicles are now in police custody for necessary legal proceedings, the Manipur police added.