These women, some residents of Tripura and some from Bihar, were found carrying drugs to Tripura via Assam.
Are women becoming the most favoured mode of carrier to traffic drugs? A very alarming and worrying trend appears to have emerged in the northeast with a large number of women being arrested while trying to transport drugs across the region.
So far, between December 12 and 15, at least 8 women have been arrested by Tripura Police. These women, some residents of Tripura and some from Bihar, were found carrying drugs to Tripura via Assam.
In the most recent instance on December 15, four women were arrested in just 24 hours in Tripura.
First, three women were arrested at the Dharmanagar railway station on Monday with Yaba tablets valued at Rs 2.5 crore.
The arrested accused identified as Mafia Begum (45), Ankuri Bibi (40), and Hafia Begum (55), all residents of Tripura were allegedly transporting the Yaba tablets by a Silchar–Agartala passenger train, using the railway route to smuggle the contraband into the state.
Within hours of this arrest, Tripura police arrested another woman from the Kumarghat Railway Station in Unakoti district. She too was carrying a large consignment of Yaba tablets and using the same Agartala-Silchar train to traffic the dangerous, illicit drug that contains a potent combination of methamphetamine and caffeine.
She was caught with 26,000 Yaba tablets packed in 13 packets. The seized drugs are estimated to be worth around Rs 1.5 crore in the illegal market.
Unakoti Superintendent of Police Sudhambika R said preliminary investigation revealed that the accused has been identified as Aliya Khatun, a resident of Boxanagar area under Sepahijala district. A case has been registered against her under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the narcotics, their intended destination and possible links to larger interstate drug trafficking syndicates.
Earlier on December 12, four women, posing as passengers, tried to ferry 20 kgs of cannabis worth at least Rs 6 lakh in a car. They were caught by Tripura Police at the Churaibari checkpost on the Tripura–Assam border.
The arrested women identified as Mongli Devi (28), Kavita Devi (35), Anita Devi (38), and Sutur Kumari (30) hails from Bihar.
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