Assam/Tripura, 01 Dec 2025: A major narcotics consignment allegedly originating from Tripura has been seized by Assam Police at the Churaibari watch post, exposing yet another instance of interstate drug smuggling through the region.
On Monday around 10 a.m., a 12-wheeler truck (registration number NL06A-7358) coming from Jirania in West Tripura crossed the Tripura border and entered Assam through the Churaibari naka gate. During a routine check, police initially found the vehicle empty. However, on searching the outer body of the truck, they detected a large quantity of contraband concealed along both sides of the vehicle.
Police recovered 68 packets of dry cannabis, weighing approximately 370 kg in total. The seized consignment is estimated to be worth over ₹2 crore in the black market, according to Superintendent of Police Anirban Sharma of the concerned Assam district.
The truck driver, identified as Rakesh Chakraborty, a resident of Khamarbari under Jirania subdivision in West Tripura, was arrested on the spot. During interrogation, he admitted that he was transporting the ganja from Jirania to Lung-Shillong in exchange for ₹30,000. He also confessed that he had previously transported similar consignments out of Tripura for payment on more than one occasion.
In his initial statement, the driver tried to pass off the consignment as a bamboo load and claimed he was travelling towards Dharmanagar. Further questioning, however, revealed inconsistencies, following which the detailed search was carried out and the concealed packets were recovered.
Assam Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and initiated a thorough investigation to trace the network behind the smuggling operation.
The incident has once again raised uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of anti-narcotics checks within Tripura, as the truck managed to cross multiple police station jurisdictions and highway points inside the state without being intercepted, before finally being caught at the Assam border.
