Troops of Assam Rifles have recovered weapons and seized substantial grams of heroin and Chinese bikes in two separate locations in Mizoram, an official of Assam Rifles said on Tuesday.
Acting on tip-off, troops of the Assam Rifles seized 261.4 grams of heroin and recovered a Bretta pistol with four live rounds and also a Kenbo bike during operation in Zokhawthar village in Champhai district on the Mizoram-Myanmar border on Monday, the official said.
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He said that the seized heroin worth Rs 20 lakh in the international market and a Chinese bike was smuggled from Myanmar.
The operation in Zokhawthar village was conducted in collaboration with volunteers of Young Mizo Association (YMA) and Village Level Task Force, he said.
The official also said that Assam Rifles battalion in Serchhip also seized a substantial amount of narcotics and recovered a weapon and unregistered Kenbo bike recently.
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All the seized arms and contrabands were handed over to state police, he said.
The Mizoram government has recently banned Kenbo bikes, which are of Chinese origin, illegally procured from Myanmar.
The Benko bikes are mostly used to transport illegal goods along the India-Myanmar border.
The government action came after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs directed the state government to take “appropriate action” to prevent the illegal plying of unregistered Chinese Kenbo bikes in Mizoram, particularly in the absence of a vehicle agreement with the Burmese government.
According to the Assam Rifles official, the Assam Rifles troopers in Mizoram have successfully conducted anti-narcotic operations on several occasions in coordination with the state police and excise and narcotics personnel in recent times.
He said that there has been a significant increase in cross-border smuggling of drugs and arms these days and the Assam Rifles have been making massive efforts to curb the menace by roping a strong anti-smuggling grid throughout the state.