A 29-year-old man was rearrested on Monday by Bumthang police in connection with a tobacco smuggling case. He was sent on bail a few weeks ago after he was arrested along with two women for allegedly smuggling tobacco last month.
The two women, a Paan shop retailer in Chamkhar town and a shopkeeper at Wangduephodrang have been detained since 23rd December.
An informer alerted Bumthang police of a suspected tobacco smuggling after the 29-year old man dispatched a parcel from Wangdue Phodrang to be delivered to the Paan shop through the Thimphu-Bumthang passenger bus on 9th December. Police found out the parcel to be a consignment of 579 boxes or 5790 sticks of cigarettes after they raided the bus upon reaching Bumthang bus station.
Upon interrogation, the Paan shop retailer confessed that the man and the 43-year old shopkeeper in Wangdue sent the parcel to her. Police also found out that the Paan shop retailer in Chamkhar didn’t also have Bhutanese citizenship. She was running the shop on hire. The man admitted to having sent 4 consignments of tobacco worth over Nu 185,000 to the Paan shop from June to December 2019.
Moreover, both women are repeated offenders. The trio will be charged for smuggling tobacco and the license holder of the Paan shop will be prosecuted for fronting as well according to police.
The case will be forwarded to Bumthang District Court next week.
Kipchu
