Four Myanmar nationals have been arrested for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking in Manipur’s Churachandpur district, with security forces seizing 66 soap cases suspected to contain heroin in two separate operations, police said on Wednesday.
Acting on specific intelligence, a joint team intercepted a motorcycle at Bualkot village under Behiang Police Station limits on Tuesday and apprehended two individuals. A total of 22 soap cases, suspected to contain heroin, were recovered from their possession, according to a police statement.
In a follow-up operation, two more persons were arrested from Behiang village, where 44 additional soap cases of suspected heroin were seized, it said.
Police indicated that the exact quantity and value of the narcotic substances could not be immediately determined, as both operations were carried out in remote areas.
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The arrested individuals have been identified as Thangsawmung (56), Kamkhenmung (56), Jhonmung (31) and Haukhul (55), all residents of Chikha village in Myanmar, the statement added.
Cases have been registered at Behiang Police Station under the provisions of the Foreigners Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and further investigation is underway.
Former Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh, who has repeatedly flagged concerns over cross-border drug trafficking and illegal immigration, lauded the operation carried out by the police and the Assam Rifles.
“I appreciate the coordinated action of the joint team of Behiang Police Station & 37 Assam Rifles for arresting four Myanmarese nationals with 66 soap cases of suspected heroin from the Behiang in Churachandpur district,” Singh said in a post on X.
He added that the arrests signals how Manipur is “being infiltrated by illegal immigrants actively involved in drug trafficking”.
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