Manipur CM Reveals Details of Drugs Kingpin, Associates’ Arrest

IMPHAL: One of the alleged major drug kingpins and two of his associates operating in the north-eastern states were arrested in a major breakthrough by Assam Police and their Manipur counterparts, according to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh here on Tuesday.

The breakthrough came when a few drug smugglers were arrested recently by the Assam Police along with contraband narcotic drugs being smuggled into Assam from Myanmar through NH 102 passing the international border at Moreh, then on to Dimapur through Nagaland and Imphal.

On receipt of the reports of the smugglers’ arrests and seizures, sleuths of the Manipur Home Department’s Narcotic Affairs and Borders police rushed to Assam and investigated into the modus operandi of the smugglers, the Chief Minister N Biren Singh informed at a news conference held at his office.

Following the arrest of the kingpin of the drug smugglers, later identified as Chandal Gupta Vijendra hailing from Senapati district of Manipur bordering Nagaland on the north, details were uncovered of the illegal drugs trade conducted in the three states of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland, the Manipur Chief Minister added.

The Manipur CM, who also holds home portfolio, disclosed that interrogation methods were applied by the police, “from bottom to top, top to bottom,” to achieve the desired results.

The arrested kingpin Chandal Gupta Vijendra is said to have revealed that he, along with two of his associates later identified as Deepak Kumar Jaswal from Kamalpur village, Uttar Pradesh and K Athini, 40, from Catomei village in Manipur’s Senapati district, were involved in carrying out the shady business of drug smuggling.

The associates of the kingpin Vijendra are presently running one shop each at the Maram bazaar and Senapati district headquarters as a cover.

The interrogation revealed that a total of 562 shops located in Dimapur and Assam, and Senapati district of Manipur were involved in the clandestine sale of the illegal drugs, which includes high quality heroin, opium, methamphetamine tablets and brown sugar during the period from February 2023 onwards.

A total of 7 consignments of drugs including heroin concealed in 40 soap cases have been delivered to the retailers and their counterparts during the mentioned period of the drug dealing.

K Athini, 40, is said to have taken the drugs from his counterparts across the Myanmar border and then supplied the narcotics to the drug kingpin and his associates, who in turn supplied the drugs for sale in Assam and Nagaland.

Police reportedly recovered an amount of around Rs one crore of ill- gotten gains from the bank accounts of the drug kingpin Chandal Gupta Vijendra, after his arrest.

All the arrested persons have been booked under the NDPS Act, and the properties of the arrested kingpin are being forfeited under the provisions of the same Act.

They were produced before the court after arrest and further interrogations are ongoing, the Manipur Chief Minister further stated.

Also Read: Assam Police Recover Big Cache of Arms, Ammunition in Udalguri

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