Naxalbari, 23rd January: In a significant operation, Naxalbari police seized a pickup van loaded with apples and arrested two persons during a routine patrol on Thursday night.
According to police sources, the vehicle was intercepted at Panighata More in the Naxalbari area. During the inspection, the occupants of the van failed to produce valid documents related to the consignment, following which the police seized the vehicle.
A total of 70 cartons of apples were recovered from the pickup van. The arrested accused have been identified as Shailendra Gond and Hemchandra Ram, both residents of Uttar Pradesh.
Police sources said the apples were being transported from Itahari in Nepal to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh via the Pashupati route through Mirik.
Both the accused were produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Friday. Naxalbari police are continuing their investigation to ascertain the legality of the consignment and possible involvement of others.