Manipur Drug Smuggling Probe Leads to Arrest of Two Main Suppliers

Imphal, October 25: A major breakthrough has come in an interstate drug smuggling investigation involving Manipur and Rajasthan, with two prominent accused taken into custody, officials said.

The Senapati District Police carried out the arrests as part of sustained efforts to shut down the trafficking network. The two accused are wanted in three cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, at Senapati Police Station.

The arrested persons are Roman Rai, 21, and Amit Kumar Thapa, 35. Rai was arrested in Kangpokpi district, whereas Thapa was caught in Bishnupur district with help from police forces of the affected districts.

A police official stated that both had remained untraceable for a long period. They are suspected to be central figures in the interstate chain that links illegal opium farming in Manipur to drug dealers active in Rajasthan.

Before the arrests, a court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Amit Kumar Thapa.

The official added that seven people have been arrested so far in the three cases, with the two latest arrests included in that count. Both men are believed to be the main suppliers in the matter.

Investigators are continuing their probe to identify the remaining members of the network and to establish how far its connections extend into Rajasthan.

Security forces in Manipur, meanwhile, have destroyed many opium fields in recent years. The Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, Narcotics Control Bureau and Manipur Police have launched campaigns to wipe out illegal opium cultivation in the state's hill districts. The illegal farming was mostly spread across six hill districts, including Kangpokpi, Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Chandel, Tengnoupal and Senapati.