Driver Caught with Cannabis Worth Over One Crore Hidden Inside Puffed Rice Machine
Tripura, 19 April 2025: In yet another shocking case of drug trafficking using modern techniques, a massive consignment of cannabis was intercepted by the Churaibari Police during a routine check on 18 April. The contraband, valued at over one crore rupees in the black market, was cleverly concealed inside a puffed rice-making machine and transported in a mini truck.
However, the traffickers’ clever plan was foiled once again by the alert police. The incident occurred late Friday night when a mini truck bearing registration number TR01AQ-1516 arrived at the Churaibari check post, en route to Assam from Teliamura.
Acting on suspicion, the police team led by Officer-in-Charge Khokan Saha conducted a thorough search of the vehicle and discovered a puffed rice machine. On closer inspection, the machine was found to have two hidden chambers containing cannabis packets. A total of 59 packets of dry cannabis, weighing approximately 345 kilograms, were recovered from the machine.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police J. Darling, the estimated market value of the seized cannabis is around Rs. 1.03 crore. The driver of the mini truck, identified as Monita Mohan Jamatia (45), son of Krishna Banshi Jamatia and a resident of Khamarbari area under Teliamura in Khowai district, was arrested on the spot.
During initial interrogation, he confessed that the cannabis was loaded from Padmabil area in Khowai town and was being transported to Assam, from where it was meant to be further trafficked to Bihar.
A case has been registered under the NDPS Act, and a thorough investigation is underway, informed the Additional SP. Meanwhile, due to relentless police crackdowns, drug mafias had gone into hiding for some time. But now, adopting advanced smuggling methods, they seem to be resurfacing only to be met with firm resistance from the law enforcement yet again.
