Major Drug Bust: Trio Nabbed with Rs 20 Lakh Heroin at Arunachal-Assam Border

A joint operation by Arunachal Pradesh Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) led to the arrest of three individuals and the seizure of heroin worth Rs 20 lakh near the Arunachal-Assam border on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. The bust, conducted at the Banderdewa check gate, underscores the ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking in Northeast India, a region vulnerable due to its proximity to Myanmar’s drug smuggling routes.

Acting on credible intelligence, the joint team intercepted a vehicle at Banderdewa, where they discovered 40 grams of heroin concealed in a green plastic bag under the car’s bonnet. The driver, Tania Tatar (30), a resident of Pachin Colony in Naharlagun, was arrested immediately. Naharlagun Superintendent of Police Nyelam Nega stated that Tatar, during interrogation, revealed the heroin was sourced from Jiten Biswas, a suspected drug peddler in Harmuti, Assam’s Lakhimpur district.

Following this lead, a raid was conducted at Biswas’s residence in Parbotipur, Harmuti, with assistance from Assam Police. The operation yielded 456.17 grams of heroin and 10 Nitrazepam tablets, a controlled psychotropic substance. Biswas (35) and his associate Pushe Chetry (34) were arrested on the spot. The total heroin seized, valued at Rs 20 lakh in the local market, was likely intended for distribution across Assam and North Bengal, officials said.

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All three suspects have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, which prescribes stringent penalties, including up to seven years of imprisonment for such offenses. A case has been registered at Banderdewa Police Station, and further investigations are underway to uncover the broader trafficking network, with suspicions of links to international handlers in Myanmar, a known hub for heroin and methamphetamine smuggling.

The operation is part of Arunachal Pradesh’s Operation Dawn 2.0, a sustained anti-narcotics campaign targeting the region’s porous 1,817-km borders with China, Myanmar, and Bhutan. Recent busts, including a Rs 6.40 crore heroin seizure in Assam and Arunachal on October 19, 2024, highlight the scale of the challenge. The Narcotics Control Bureau notes a steady rise in heroin trafficking cases, driven by cross-border infiltration and synthetic drug availability.

Arunachal Pradesh and Assam Police have intensified border surveillance, awareness drives, and rehabilitation programs to combat the drug menace. SP Nega emphasized the need for public cooperation, urging citizens to report suspicious activities anonymously. The suspects are in custody, with a Lakhimpur court granting police remand for further questioning to trace financial trails and digital footprints linked to the trafficking ring.

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