Agartala, Jan 19 (IANS) In a joint operation, the Tripura Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested two suspected arms and drug peddlers on Sunday after they arrived in Agartala on an express train, officials said.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Rati Ranjan Debnath, said on Sunday that Tripura Police personnel and RPF troops recovered a loaded pistol and around 100 bottles of banned cough syrup from the possession of two youths from Bihar after detaining them at Agartala railway station.
He said the seizure was made during a joint operation conducted on the Rani Kamalabati Express after the train reached Agartala railway station on the outskirts of the city.
“The two youths from Bihar were intercepted while travelling by train. During checking, a pistol along with two live bullets and nearly 100 bottles of contraband cough syrup were recovered. We are sending the pistol for forensic examination,” the DIG said.
The arrested duo has been identified as Kartik Yadav and Amud, both residents of Bihar.
According to police, the accused were kept under surveillance from Dharmanagar railway station in North Tripura district.
DIG Debnath said further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the illegal items and their intended recipients.
“Cases will be registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the Arms Act,” the police official added.
He also noted that with improved coordination between the state police and railway authorities, particularly intelligence units, success against drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human trafficking has significantly increased in recent times.
Police said sustained vigilance at railway stations and along train routes has played a crucial role in preventing inter-state smuggling activities in Tripura.
Meanwhile, in November last year, Tripura Police arrested three persons, including an alleged arms supplier from Bihar, after seizing two country-made firearms and four magazines during a patrol operation in Agartala.
Police sources further noted that the Arundhuti Nagar area, located close to Agartala railway station, has witnessed multiple arrests of arms dealers over the past few years, with most cases involving illegal firearms smuggled into the state, often via train routes.
Earlier, on May 8 last year, eight pistols and 16 empty magazines were recovered from an express train at Agartala railway station.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) and RPF, in a joint operation, recovered the arms from the Tripura Sundari Express after the train arrived from Punjab’s Firozpur.
–IANS
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