Police bust drug smugglers’ gang

BAHRAICH: Police claimed to have busted an international gang of drug smugglers and recovered 18.5 kg of cannabis worth Rs 1.85 crores near the Indo-Nepal border on Saturday night. Three Nepalese women who were smuggling the drug through the border have been arrested, police said.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ashok Kumar said they got information that some smugglers from Nepal have entered Indian though the forest route with huge amount of drugs. After this station house officer (SHO) of Sujauli Vinay Kumar Saroj assisted by teams of police and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) launched an intensive checking drive near Fakeerpur village on Saturday night.

During the drive police stopped three Nepalese women who were looking suspicious and recovered 18.5kg of cannabis from their possession. Police claimed that the trio confessed to their crime and revealed they had come to Sujauli from Nepal and were going to Haridwar to supply the consignment of drugs. The ASP said the women were identified as Saraswati, 38, Laxmi Gotame, 28, and Jharna Thapa, 40, all resident of Nepal. Police registered a case under section 8/20 of the NDPS Act and produced them before the court.

Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Kumar Mishra said two mobile phones and an Indian SIM card were also found from the arrested women. Mishra said contact list of the mobile phones and the SIM card were being scrutinized.