The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have seized 6.078 kg of charas, worth about ₹6.078 crore in the international illicit market, during an operation at Gorakhpur railway station. Two Nepalese women travelling aboard the Jan Nayak Express were arrested following DRI officials' interception of a narcotics consignment from Bihar to Punjab.
According to preliminary information, the consignment was being transported to Ludhiana. DRI had received intelligence that a big quantity of charas could be moved through a train arriving from Bihar. Based on that information, officials intensified surveillance at Gorakhpur railway station and monitored passengers travelling on the Jan Nayak Express.
After the train arrived at the station, the DRI team identified and stopped two women who had raised suspicion on the platform. The officers noticed some things about the people and searched for them during the questioning, which led to the discovery of a black-coloured substance hidden in several packets, they said.
The recovered material was packed into 12 separate packets. DRI officials conducted a preliminary field test, which confirmed the substance as charas. The packets were seized and the two women were taken into custody for further investigation.
The alleged concealment method was especially apparent during the operation. The packets were not kept in luggage, according to the DRI. It was alleged that the two women had strapped the packets around their thighs above their knees and hidden them underneath their sarees. This is what investigators believe was done to avoid detection in routine passenger checks.
Following the seizure, the investigation has turned its attention to the wider network that is allegedly responsible for transporting the drugs. The consignment reached Bihar, who supplied it and who was to receive it after it was transported to Punjab, officials are looking into, they say. The investigators are also looking at the travel records and contacts and movements of the women arrested and whether the seizure might be connected to a larger trafficking network.
The two women have been arrested under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act). The investigation is ongoing and more evidence and statements are to be gathered as to the exact chain of the alleged consignment.
The seizure is in line with the growing investigation of narcotics trafficking in railway and transportation routes. In September alone, seven different operations in the region resulted in the seizure of more than 11 kg of charas with five people arrested in connection with that. There is surveillance being intensified on transportation routes to prevent and control illegal drug sales, the department said.
The officials have also highlighted the suspected Nepal connection in the latest case. The investigation is looking into whether the seized material originated in Nepal before reaching Bihar and if the alleged trafficking route extended from Nepal through Bihar and onward to Punjab. A clear origin and destination for those involved could help investigators find out who else is in the network of men and women who want to do business.
The international illicit-market value of the seized material is estimated to be about ₹6.078 crore. However, the valuation cited by enforcement agencies refers to the value in illicit markets and should not be taken as a legal retail or regulated-market price.
The latest seizure demonstrates the power of intelligence-led surveillance in detecting suspected narcotics transportation on busy railway lines. DRI officials will now be looking for the suppliers, intermediaries and intended recipients of the consignment as the investigation continues. The arrested women’s statements, travel records and other evidence from the investigation could give further clues.
So far, authorities have not indicated that the investigation is done. Further arrests or seizures, if evidence is found, might be made as investigators follow the alleged movement of the 6.078 kg consignment from its suspected source to its intended destination in Ludhiana.
