The security forces in Manipur’s Senapati district conducted a routine check of a vehicle carrying fake military insignia when they found 15.35 kg of suspected opium and arrested the driver, officials said.
It was conducted by a combined team comprising of personnel of the T Khellen check-post, CRPF and Assam Rifles, police said. Upon noticing the unusual markings and some oddities such as a VIP flag post, the vehicles were stopped.
The vehicle bore the markings of a senior Army officer, and had a number of nameplates with the Ministry of Defence and Army branding, police said. Officers, however, were suspicious when the vehicle was driving alone without any official escort.
In a detailed search, the security forces found 17 packets with about 15.35 kg alleged smuggling of opium inside hidden compartment under the rear door of the vehicle. Tarkeshwar Singh, who is from Assam’s Tinsukia district, was arrested. In the first stage, the investigators said they had found there was no connection of the vehicle or the driver with the Indian Army.
The military-style banners have been used to evade security scans and passage through sensitive zones, police claimed. The vehicle, cell phones and money and identity documents were seized from the alleged gang, besides the suspected narcotics. The recovery and seizure was done before the presence of an executive magistrate.
A further investigation is on-going to trace the source and intended destination of the presumed contraband and to ascertain if it is part of a larger trafficking network, officials said.