Imphal, Oct 25 — Manipur Police have arrested two key accused in an interstate drug trafficking network allegedly linking Manipur with Rajasthan, officials said on Sunday.
A police official said that, as part of the ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks, Senapati district police arrested the two accused in connection with three cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, at Senapati Police Station.
The arrested persons have been identified as Roman Rai (21) and Amit Kumar Thapa (35). Rai was arrested in Kangpokpi district, while Thapa was apprehended in Bishnupur district with the assistance of the police forces of the respective districts.
The police official said that both accused had been absconding for a considerable period and were suspected to be key links in an interstate drug trafficking network connecting illegal poppy cultivators in Manipur with drug traffickers operating in Rajasthan.
A non-bailable warrant (NBW) had also been issued by a court against accused Amit Kumar Thapa earlier.
According to the police official, a total of seven persons have so far been arrested in connection with the three cases, including the two accused apprehended recently. The two are suspected to have acted as common suppliers in the cases.
Further investigation is underway to identify and trace other members of the interstate drug trafficking network and establish its wider linkages extending to Rajasthan.
Meanwhile, security forces in Manipur during the last few years have destroyed a large number of poppy fields that had the potential to yield substantial quantities of opium, valued at several hundred crores of rupees in the illegal market.
The Army, Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Manipur Police have carried out operations to destroy illegal poppy cultivation across the state’s mountainous districts. The illegal poppy cultivation was primarily spread across six hill districts - Kangpokpi, Ukhrul, Tamenglong, Chandel, Tengnoupal and Senapati.