Siliguri, 02nd July: Bagdogra Police foiled a major cannabis smuggling attempt and arrested two persons from Bihar after seizing around 42 kg of cannabis concealed inside a specially designed chamber in a Bolero vehicle.
According to police sources, the consignment was being transported from Srirampur in Assam to Bihar via NJP and Bagdogra. Acting on a tip-off, plainclothes personnel of Bagdogra Police conducted a raid near Kestopur on Wednesday.
During the operation, police intercepted a Bolero vehicle travelling towards Kestopur from Bagdogra and carried out a search. Upon opening the roof of the vehicle, officers discovered a specially modified hidden chamber, where eight packets of cannabis were concealed.
The total weight of the seized cannabis was approximately 42 kg, with its market value estimated to be worth several lakhs of rupees.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Praveen Kumar and Vicky Kumar, both residents of Bihar. They have been booked under the NDPS Act for alleged involvement in cannabis trafficking.
Police also recovered three fake registration number plates belonging to Bihar, West Bengal and Assam from the vehicle. Preliminary investigation suggests that the smuggling network may have been using fake number plates to evade law enforcement agencies.
Bagdogra Police have initiated a detailed investigation into the case.