Assam: Drugs recovered from official quarter of retired cop in Guwahati, 3 held

Guwahati: The Assam Police have detained three persons, including a couple, in the state’s capital Guwahati, for their alleged involvement in drug peddling.

Based on intelligence input, a team of police led by the in-charge (IC) of Guwahati’s Jalukbari Outpost (OP), on Thursday (May 9), apprehended a couple from the Adabari area of the city, for allegedly dealing with narcotic drugs and contraband items, Guwahati Commissioner of Police (CP) Diganta Barah said on Friday, May 10.

During the search of the couple, identified as Hiteswar Kalita and Mamoni Kalita alias Mamoni Begum, the police recovered as many as 24 Nitrazepam addictive tablets from their possession. The police then searched the house of the accused during which another 137 such tablets were recovered, the CP said.

Notably, Hiteswar is the son of Ratneswar Kalita, a retired Havildar of the Government Railway Police (GRP). Though Ratneswar retired from service in February 2023, he is still occupying the government quarter allotted to him, from where the narcotic substances were recovered, he added.  

Hiteswar, a habitual drug addict, is employed as a peer educator by ‘Global Organisation for Life Development (GOLD),’ a Guwahati-based Non-governmental organisation (NGO).

However, Hiteswar along with his wife Mamoni, is allegedly engaged in drug peddling too, as he is well acquainted with the drug addict community due to his association with the NGO, CP Barah said.  

Moreover, the duo is undergoing Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST), a procedure which involves substitution of injecting opioid drugs with oral medication that effectively minimises craving and withdrawals enabling the addicts to stop injecting drugs, at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), he said. 

On further interrogation of the duo, the police apprehended another alleged drug peddler Amarendra Kalita from the Ghoramara area of the city, and recovered a total of 1,093 SPS-PHEN and Nitrazepam addictive tablets from his possession, he added. 

During thorough interrogation of the trio, it was revealed that the accused have connection with an individual in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, from whom they receive the contraband items through pharmacies and other means, the CP said. 

The police have registered a case at the Jalukbari Police Station under sections 22(a) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Interrogation of the accused is underway to unearth more linkages, CP Barah further said.