Manipur: 3 including a woman Arrested, drugs worth of Rs 15 Lakh seized

IMPHAL/CHURACHANDPUR-  Security forces in Manipur arrested three alleged drug traffickers, including a 56-year-old woman, in separate anti-narcotics operations conducted at Imphal International Airport and in Churachandpur district. The operations led to the seizure of contraband substances estimated to be worth over ₹15 lakh in the international market, officials said on Saturday.

At Imphal International Airport, personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) apprehended two non-local individuals during a luggage screening operation on Friday afternoon. The accused were identified as Suresh, son of Kanhaiyalal Prajapat, and Vijay Singh, son of Rajendra Singh, both residents of Madhya Pradesh.

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According to a police bulletin, the duo was intercepted at approximately 3:30 pm while attempting to board an Air India Express flight bound for Guwahati. During the inspection, security personnel recovered 4.8 kilograms of heroin from their possession. After completion of airport formalities, the accused were handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for further investigation.

In a separate operation the same day, Manipur Police arrested a 56-year-old woman identified as Thuamlianding from her grocery shop at Kannan Veng on YPA Road under Churachandpur Police Station. The accused is a resident of Zion Veng in Churachandpur district.

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During the search, police seized five soap cases containing suspected heroin powder and 5.35 kilograms of “World is Yours” (WY) tablets. Additionally, a TVS Jupiter two-wheeler bearing registration number MN02G 9041 and a mobile phone were confiscated. She was booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act, 2023 for further legal proceedings.

In another related development, security forces, in the presence of the District Executive Magistrate of Churachandpur, destroyed approximately 10 acres of illicit poppy cultivation at K. Bungsang under the Samulamlan Sub-Division. Officials stated that the destruction drive forms part of an ongoing campaign to curb drug trafficking networks and illegal poppy cultivation in the hill districts of the state.

Authorities indicated that the operations are part of a broader anti-narcotics strategy aimed at dismantling supply chains and restricting the production of illicit substances in Manipur.