IMPHAL, June 10: A joint team of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Customs, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police have seized drugs and cash worth Rs 55.52 crore during an operation in Churachandpur district, a government statement said.
“A special operation codenamed ‘Operation White Veil’ was carried out in the bordering areas of Churachandpur district of Manipur on June 5-7 by a joint team of DRI, Customs, Assam Rifles and Manipur Police,” it said on Monday.
In the early hours of June 6, two suspects in a vehicle at Behiang village bordering Myanmar were discreetly pursued, leading to a residential house at Thadou Veng in Singngat sub-division. On searching the house, 219 soap cases containing heroin and eight packages and 8 small tin cans containing opium were recovered along with two walkie-talkies and cash amounting to Rs 7,58,050. While one person was apprehended from the house, two other persons, who escaped, were intercepted at Bualkot check gate, the statement said.
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In a quick follow-up action, the residential house of one of the accused persons located at Behiang village was searched and two packages containing opium and cash amounting to Rs 28,05,000 were seized.
“The joint team seized 7,755.75 grams of heroin worth Rs 54.29 crore and 6,736 grams of opium worth Rs 87.57 lakh in the international grey drug market, along with cash of Rs 35.63 lakh,” it said, adding two walkie-talkies and a vehicle were also seized and five persons arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
Acting on further inputs received during the operation, two persons carrying improvised manpacks were intercepted at Zoukhonuam village near BP 46 on June 7. A search of the manpacks resulted in the recovery of 440 soap cases containing heroin, it said.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the seized contraband drugs were smuggled into the bordering areas of Churachandpur district from Myanmar through the porous forested Indo-Myanmar border. (PTI)
