STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The seizure and detection of drugs by the GRP (Government Railway Police) of Assam have registered over a six-fold increase by the end of December 2022.
GRP personnel seized drugs worth over Rs 33.09 crore till December 26, 2022, against the seizure of drugs worth Rs 5.06 crore in 2021. The 12 GRP police stations, 18 outposts, 11 patrol posts and three investigation centres together seized over 3,565 kg ganja worth Rs 17.82 crore, 1,020 gm morphine worth Rs 51 lakh, 36957 narcotic tablets worth Rs 1.79 crore, 170 bottle cough syrup worth Rs 1.19 lakh, 5875.12 gm heroin/brown sugar worth Rs 11.75 crore and over 24 kg opium worth Rs 1.20 crore in 2022. The GRP personnel also arrested 183 people in 188 cases during the one-year period. They arrested 34 people in 42 cases in 2021.
GRP personnel also seized over 2.67 kg of gold, leading to the arrest of five persons in four cases in 2022, besides the seizure of 141 tonnes of Burmese supari from trains during the year.
The drugs that pass to the rest of India through Assam come mainly by trains from Dimapur in Nagaland and Agartala in Tripura. While ganja comes to Assam mostly from Manipur via Dimapur and Agartala, drugs come mainly from Myanmar. According to GRP sources, drugs come to India from Myanmar in huge quantities, but the smugglers send them to the rest of India via Assam piecemeal.
Talking to The Sentinel, GRP SP Bhanwarlal Meena said, "The drive against drugs by GRP is very successful so far. Our personnel seized drugs and ganja from trains based on information received and drives carried out. The drives and the seizure were under the supervision of the Assam Police Headquarters."
He said that the GRP sent a proposal to the State government to set up two more GRP police stations and as many outposts between Kamakhya and Jogighopa railway stations.
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