Tripura, 16 May 2025: A high-level team from Agartala rushed to the Churaibari Police Station for an on-spot investigation after a major ganja smuggling attempt was busted on May 12. The smugglers, in a cunning ploy, tried to transport large quantities of dry cannabis from Agartala to Guwahati using what appeared to be electric transformers. Following media reports and suspicion about the equipment, a team led by TSECL General Manager Swapan Debbarma, along with the Panisagar DGM and other officials, inspected the seized transformers. They confirmed that the transformers were not part of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) inventory and were never used for any electrical purposes.
Debbarma stated that these transformers were likely custom-built solely for the purpose of smuggling. Earlier, Churaibari police seized 960 kg of dry ganja worth around ₹4 crore from ten such transformers loaded on a truck bearing registration number UP58AT/1128.
The consignment was being transported from Tripura to Assam. Two individuals from Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh driver Awadhesh Kumar (42) and co-driver Pramod Kumar (59) were arrested during the operation. Police also recovered some forged documents, which the TSECL officials confirmed as fake after verification.
North Tripura Additional SP Jeremiah Darlong, who was present during the inspection, stated that a detailed report from TSECL would be submitted to the police. He refrained from sharing further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
