In a major drug haul, the Assam Rifles seized methamphetamine tablets worth ₹167 crore from Melbuk village in Mizoram’s Champhai district, located at the Indo-Myanmar border. In a joint operation with local police, the team also arrested a woman who was carrying the contraband in a car.
Mizoram Police said that they intercepted a vehicle on the basis of specific information. On searching, a total of 5.05 lakh tablets, weighing 55.8 kilograms, were found in the car.
According to officials, this is one of the biggest catches for the force in this area. The agencies are suspecting the contraband was coming from Myanmar for distribution in India. The woman was further interrogated.
“The operation was launched by a joint team of Assam Rifles and Zokhawthar Police late evening on September 23, 2022. A vehicle was spotted by the joint team moving suspiciously. On being intercepted and checked, it was found to be carrying 5,05,000 methamphetamine tablets. The contraband was being carried by a woman in the vehicle, and its market value is approximately ₹167,86,20,000/- (167.86 crore),” Assam Rifles said in a statement.
The seized items and detained woman were handed over to Zokhawthar Police Station, Champhai District, Mizoram, on September 24, 2022, for further investigation and legal proceedings, it added.
Assam Rifles has been actively chasing the illegal movement of drugs, weapons, and explosives for more than a year now. Earlier in June, the Serchip battalion of Assam Rifles seized 51,000 meth tablets, weighing nearly 5 kilograms, from Champhai. The consignment was valued at approximately ₹1 crore.
The disturbed internal situation in Myanmar has led to a spike in the illegal trans-border movement of contraband and people. If the number of migrants moving into Mizoram from Myanmar increases, these illegal activities are likely to get further accentuated, the statement from the force added.
Assam Rifles maintains law and order in the northeastern part of the country and also guards the Myanmar border in the region.