In a major crackdown on smuggling activities, Kumarghat police carried out two successive operations on Friday night along the Assam-Agartala National Highway, foiling suspected smuggling attempts and seizing contraband worth more than Rs 11.15 lakh.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, police first conducted a naka checking operation in the 91 Mile area and intercepted a Wagon R car bearing registration number AS 01 EH 9983. During the search, police recovered 22 cartons of Burmese cigarettes, with an estimated market value of over Rs 11 lakh. Two persons from Kailashahar, including the driver, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a separate operation on the same night, police searched an electric autorickshaw at Saidabari along the Kumarghat-Kailashahar main road in Unakoti district. A substantial quantity of illegal sound-emitting firecrackers was recovered from the vehicle bearing registration number TR 02 DH 846.
Police arrested Rajesh Malakar, a resident of Sonaimuri, in connection with the seizure. The recovered firecrackers were estimated to be worth more than Rs 15,000.
The two operations were led by Kumarghat Police Station Sub-Inspectors Debabrata Shil and Abhirup Das.
Speaking about the operations, Officer-in-Charge of Kumarghat Police Station Sanjay Das said that the total value of the seized contraband exceeded Rs 11.15 lakh.
He further stated that the police would continue to maintain a zero-tolerance policy against anti-social elements and smuggling activities, and strict legal action would be taken against those involved in such illegal activities in the coming days.