Police in Samdrup Jongkhar arrested 12 people in just two days for smuggling in tobacco products from across the border and for trying to cross the border. Eight of them are under custody while four are currently in a quarantine facility.
On 2nd April, two Bhutanese women were arrested for having in their possession 25 packets of cigarettes. According to a source, they have asked an Indian across the border to pass the cigarettes over a wall which serves as a boundary between the two countries.
And on 3rd April, at around 6:30 pm, a truck driver carrying grocery items for a shop in Samdrup Jongkhar town was arrested for smuggling in two packets of bedi, 40 packets of chewing tobacco and a packet of cigarette. Police also arrested his three friends for asking to bring the tobacco products. The driver is currently under quarantine since he had stopped along the Indian highway to buy the tobacco products.
On the same day, police arrested two women and a man in possession of 60 packets of chewing tobacco and 30 packets of cigarettes. They have asked Indian vegetable suppliers to bring in tobacco products along with vegetables from across the border. Police found the banned products while unloading the vegetables.
And at around 10:30 am to 12 noon, Police also arrested three school drop-out youths for trying to cross the informal border from Tashi Poktor in Samdrup Jongkhar. Three of them are in quarantine since they have crossed the border and gone to India a few days back too.
Meanwhile, police also found 280 tablets of contraband drugs along the border wall on the evening of 4th April. Police suspected it to be a drop-off point.
Samdrup Jongkhar police, Desuups and other officials are doing round the clock patrolling along the Bhutan-Indo border since the closure of all entry points from 23rd March.
Kinley Wangchuk
