A 25-year-old woman was arrested in Tripura with a pistol and Rs 20 lakh worth of drugs. Police recovered 7,800 meth tablets and are probing possible links to a larger trafficking network. This comes weeks after arms were seized from a train in Agartala.
Tripura Police on Friday arrested a 25-year-old woman in Dharmanagar for allegedly possessing illegal arms and a large cache of narcotics. The arrested individual, identified as Mamoni Begum, was caught during a police raid at the residence of one Helal Miah in the Bhagyapur area under the Dharmanagar police station jurisdiction.
According to North Tripura District Superintendent of Police Avinash Rai, the raid was conducted based on prior intelligence. A police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Jeremiah Darlong executed the operation, resulting in the recovery of a pistol, a few live cartridges, and 7,800 methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as Yaba tablets. The estimated value of the seized narcotics is around ₹20 lakh.
Police officials have confirmed that a case has been registered under the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Investigators are currently interrogating the accused to ascertain the origin of the arms and drugs, and the purpose for which they were intended.
“We are questioning the woman to understand where she sourced the firearm and drugs from, and whether she is linked to a broader trafficking syndicate. The investigation is ongoing, and more details will emerge as we proceed,” said SP Avinash Rai while speaking to IANS.
Authorities suspect that Mamoni Begum may be a part of a larger drug trafficking network that operates across state or international borders. The police have intensified efforts to identify other individuals who may be involved in the illegal supply chain.
This latest arrest and seizure come just three weeks after a similar incident at Agartala railway station, raising fresh concerns about rising arms and drug trafficking in the region. On May 8, the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted a joint search operation on the Tripura Sundari Express after its arrival from Firozpur, Punjab. They recovered eight unclaimed pistols and 16 empty magazines from two bags onboard the train.
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“There were no identification marks or manufacturing details on the recovered pistols and magazines. All the weapons are similar to 9mm pistols,” a GRP official said. Authorities are yet to trace the individuals responsible for placing the unclaimed bags on the train.
Both incidents suggest a growing concern over illegal arms and drug trade in Tripura, and police have vowed to crack down on these criminal activities with full force.
