In a meticulously planned operation, Assam Rifles seized huge quantities of highly addictive methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 12 crore in Tripura and arrested two drug peddlers, officials said on Tuesday.
A Defence spokesman said that acting on a secret operation, the Assam Rifles troopers arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 60,000 methamphetamine tablets also known as Yaba tablets, valued at Rs 12 crore from them in Salbagan areas of West Tripura district on Monday night.
The accused have been identified as Kanai Das (36) and Kishan Kumar Sarkar (32), both residents of West Tripura district. The seized drugs and the arrested individuals have been handed over to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence for further investigation and legal proceedings.
This operation underscores the unwavering commitment of Assam Rifles in combating smuggling and safeguarding the region from the menace of drug trafficking, the spokesman said.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha recently said that during the past three years, 1,665 cases were registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 and 2697 drug peddlers were arrested for their involvement in illegal activities.
Saha, who also holds the Home and Health and Family Welfare portfolios, said that during the last three years, drugs, including destruction of huge numbers of ganja (marijuana) plantations valued at Rs 1,587.47 crore were seized by the law-enforcing agencies, including the Tripura Police.
With the menace of various drugs, the number of HIV/AIDS-affected people rose to 10,126 in 2023 from 7,707 people in 2021. "Since 2015, at least, 512 people have died after becoming affected by HIV/AIDS,” the Chief Minister informed the Assembly.
He said that besides taking numerous steps against the drug menace and the spread of HIV/AIDS, the state government’s 10 departments, including Home, Education, Health and Family Welfare, Sports and Youth Affairs, have jointly undertaken various awareness campaigns across the state. Seizure of drugs, mostly smuggled from Myanmar, is a regular occurrence in the northeastern states, especially in Mizoram, Assam, Tripura and Manipur.
Various drugs, especially heroin and highly addictive methamphetamine tablets are often smuggled into the northeastern states of India from Myanmar, which shares a 1,643 km-long unfenced border with four northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km).
Illegal immigrants will be pushed back, says Tripura CM
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday once again firmly reiterated that the state government would not allow illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or Myanmar to enter Indian territory under any circumstances.
Cash at judge's residence: SC trashes plea seeking FIR against Justice Varma
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea seeking criminal prosecution of Justice Yashwant Varma, who is embroiled in a controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of a huge pile of burnt cash in the storeroom attached to his bungalow in the national capital after the fire brigade had gone there to douse a blaze on March 14.
Sonia, Rahul Gandhi enjoyed Rs 142 crore of 'proceeds of crime' in National Herald case, ED tells Delhi court
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday told a court here that Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have enjoyed Rs. 142 crore of “proceeds of crime” linked to alleged National Herald money laundering case.
West Bengal turned to 'Taliban state' run by 'modern Jinnah': BJP on Murshidabad violence report
The political storm intensified on Wednesday after a report by a three-member committee of the Calcutta High Court exposed serious lapses by the state police in containing the communal violence that erupted in West Bengal's Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district last month.
Centre to invest Rs 1,000 crore for waterways in northeast: Sarbananda Sonowal
Sonowal said, “As per the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are developing robust waterway infrastructure in Assam and the Northeast with projects worth Rs 1,000 crore on the anvil, targeted for completion by 2026.”
Rafale friendship takes flight: French Senate delegation backs India in fight against terror
The Rafale fighter jets supplied by France are not just cutting-edge defence platforms — they now stand as soaring symbols of a time-tested friendship and strategic trust between India and France, New Delhi told a visiting delegation of the French Senate on Tuesday.
PM Modi to German Chancellor: Both countries stand united in fight against terrorism
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a telephone conversation with Friedrich Merz on Tuesday evening and congratulated him on assuming office as the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
‘Asking a thief to probe his own crime’: FS Misri slams Pakistan’s joint investigation call during MP briefing on terror outreach
In a bold diplomatic initiative following ‘Operation Sindoor’, India has rolled out an unprecedented global campaign to expose Pakistan’s direct and indirect links to terrorism.