Manipur police arrest two drug smugglers, seize drugs worth Rs 4.2 crore

Imphal: Manipur police arrested two alleged drug smugglers in a swift operation conducted in the vicinity of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospital crossing under Porompat police station, Imphal East district, on Sunday.

According to the police report issued on Monday, they were arrested along with 16 packets containing about 2.3 kilograms of "World is Yours" (W/Y) tablets.

The drugs were being smuggled into the state from Myanmar through the Tengnoupal district of Manipur, which borders Myanmar to the south.

The seized drug WY, also referred to as Ya ba, is a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. This is a popular drug across Southeast Asian countries and is worth around Rs 4.2 crore in the international clandestine markets.

Based on credible information from various sources, Manipur Police launched the operation and arrested the duo near the JNIMS crossing under Porompat PS, Imphal East district, around 5 pm on Sunday.

They have been identified as Md. Salman Khan (35), a resident of Kwakta Khuman, Moirang, Bishnupur district, and Md. Sahidur (51) of Ward No. 2, Bishnupur district.

From their possession, the following items were seized. Approximately 2.3 kgs of WY tablets were recovered, along with one Aadhaar card, two mobile phones, and one white four-wheeler Mahindra Scorpio bearing registration number AS12K-6496.

The seized items were confiscated following standard procedures, and the arrestees were later handed over to the relevant police station.

The police reports added that a case in this regard has been registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Act 2023 for further investigation.