Silchar, Assam: In a significant crackdown on illicit trade, Cachar district police have successfully intercepted two major consignments of smuggled Burmese cigarettes at the Kalainchara Police Naka Check Gate on the crucial Assam-Meghalaya border (National Highway 6). The back-to-back operations resulted in the seizure of a massive quantity of foreign-origin cigarettes and the apprehension of three individuals involved in the cross-border smuggling network.
🚨 Operation 1: Hidden Chamber Scam Busted
The Gumra Police unit, responsible for monitoring the Kalainchara toll gate area, first intercepted a container truck bearing registration number HR 55AJ -1851. A thorough search of the vehicle uncovered an ingenious modus operandi: the smugglers had constructed a secret chamber inside the container to conceal the contraband.
- Seizure: 29 cartons of Burmese cigarettes.
- Estimated Market Value: Approximately ₹3 Lakh.
- Arrests: Two suppliers, identified as Prempal and Danveer, both residents of Uttar Pradesh, were immediately detained.
The consignment was reportedly moving from Cachar towards Meghalaya, indicating the route’s use as a major transit point for illicit goods entering the North East and further into India.
🚨 Operation 2: Second Haul Yields 81 Cartons
In a rapid follow-up operation just days later, Kalainchara police personnel intercepted another vehicle, a lorry with registration number AS -01MC -7673, during a routine check in the early hours of Sunday.
- Seizure: A significantly larger haul of 81 cartons of Burmese cigarettes.
- Estimated Market Value: Valued at several lakhs of rupees.
- Arrest: One supplier was arrested on the spot.
The two successful raids underscore the persistent efforts by smugglers to push these untaxed foreign-origin cigarettes, which often violate India’s mandatory pictorial health warning regulations (COTPA), through the porous borders of the region.
Focus on the Route: The Assam-Meghalaya border, particularly the National Highway 6 corridor through Cachar, remains a critical choke point for security agencies. Illicit goods, primarily foreign cigarettes and narcotics like Yaba tablets smuggled from Myanmar via Mizoram and Manipur, are often routed through this area towards the mainland or Bangladesh.
All apprehended individuals and the seized contraband are currently in the custody of the respective police authorities for further legal action and investigation to dismantle the larger supply chain network.
