[ Karyir Riba ]
ROING, May 24: The residents of Cheta village here, including panchayat and SHG members, apprehended a group of drug abusers and a peddler from the village and handed them over to the police.
Following the rise in the number of drug abusers and peddlers in the area, the villagers had begun making regular rounds to get hold of drug abusers.
On one such round on Wednesday, at around 10.30 am, a group of youths (aged 17-18 years) were caught red-handed in the act, informed an SHG member.
The abusers reportedly made a run for it but were given chase by the villagers, who managed to get hold of one of them. The villagers used the person to lure in the others who had escaped. The abusers then revealed the name of the peddler.
The villagers reportedly found the abusers with brown sugar and syringes. After rounding them all up, the villagers handed them over to the police.
The abusers included two girls and three boys.
Following the incident, Inspector Abraham Taying and a police team conducted a raid at the suspected peddler’s house in Mayu village at around 12.45 am.
“A paper envelope containing pink coloured cocaine-like substance weighing 60 gms, four pink coloured powder-studded coins, and two rolled Rs 10 notes were seized from the accused and he is in custody now,” informed Taying.
An FIR has been lodged against the 19-year-old peddler under Section 22(B)/27(A), and he will reportedly be sentenced for 10 years if convicted.
Investigation is still underway.
