DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 16 (MExN): Excise personnel on Thursday afternoon caught 170 kilograms of illicit ‘ganja’ from a taxi after a chase at Chumukedima, Dimapur. The seizure was made following receipt of specific information from sources. According to the Excise, the suspect vehicle was speeding towards Dimapur when undercover Excise personnel tried to intercept it a point between Patkai Bridge and the old forest checkpost at Chumukedima.
With the Excise personnel hot on their heels, the occupants riding in the vehicle, a Nagaland registered taxi (NL 07 T 0289), stopped and escaped, abandoning the car. The suspects, believed to be two, had already made good their escape before the chasing team got up to the vehicle, the Excise said.
The consignment was neatly packed in plastic bags and weighed 170 kilograms in total. Its street value is estimated at Rs. 4.25 lakh. A kilogram of ‘ganja’ is said to be worth around Rs. 2700 in the international black market. No evidence or registration papers suggesting the origin of the taxi was found except a ‘road permit’, which was soiled beyond recognition, the Excise said.
Apparently, the ganja laden taxi had crossed the Chumukedima checkpost without trouble or for that matter other check points before it. If past seizures are anything to go by, Dimapur was the transit point, if not the destination. Till date no arrests, of any individuals or the kingpins involved, has been made except for the people caught ferrying the illegal imports. The consignment was suspected to have originated from Manipur.
