Police seize opium from APST bus, peddler arrested

CHANGLANG, 26 Aug: Opium weighing around 5.156 kgs was seized by a police team from an APST bus and a woman was arrested in this connection here on Thursday.

A police team led by ASI Riram, under the supervision of the SP and the OC, conducted a routine naka checking on the Changlang-Khonsa road, near the Yatdam circle office.

At around 8 am, one APST bus (ARX-0584) approaching from Khonsa was stopped and a detailed search of the passengers and their luggage was carried out, during which the police team detected a plastic jerrycan kept hidden in the cargo compartment of the bus. On thorough checking of the jerrycan, the police found the opium.

On spot interrogation, all the passengers denied ownership of the illicit opium.

The police team then accessed and viewed the CCTV footage of the Khonsa bus station, from where the bus had left.

On minute observation of the CCTV footage, one woman passenger was found bringing the jerrycan containing the illicit opium.

The woman passenger has been identified as Yamyum Khocha (48), of Noglo village in Lazu circle of Tirap district. On further interrogation, she admitted to ownership of the illicit opium, and revealed that it was sourced from Myanmar.

A criminal case under the NDPS Act was registered at the Changlang police station and the woman has been arrested.

Changlang SP Mihin Gambo commended the district police for their untiring efforts to curb the drug menace in the district. He informed that, of late, many drug addicts from Changlang district are willingly giving up drugs and undergoing de-addiction at various rehabilitation centres.