Guwahati, Aug 14: Drugs worth an estimated Rs 39.4 crore were seized in Guwahati after police intercepted a truck near the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), leading to the arrest of two persons, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Taking to his official X account on Thursday, Sarma praised the Guwahati Police for the operation and said the seizure would help protect the younger generation from the growing threat of drug abuse.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me how much drugs in all? Rs 39.4 crore!” the Chief Minister said in his X post, while highlighting the quantity of narcotics recovered during the operation.

According to the Chief Minister, the police intercepted a truck near the ISBT and recovered 10 soap cases containing heroin along with 1,40,000 YABA tablets.

YABA tablets, which commonly contain methamphetamine, are a synthetic drug associated with serious health and addiction risks.

The seizure represents a significant disruption to an alleged narcotics trafficking network operating through Assam.

Two accused persons were apprehended in connection with the seizure.

Police are expected to investigate the source of the consignment, its intended destination and the wider network involved in transporting the drugs.

The operation comes amid intensified efforts by Assam Police to curb the trafficking and distribution of narcotics in the state.

Assam has emerged as an important transit route for drugs because of its geographical location and proximity to international borders and neighbouring states.

Sarma, in his X post, credited the Guwahati Police for the “excellent” operation and described the seizure as an effort aimed at “saving the future of our youth”.

The recovery of such a large quantity of YABA tablets and heroin is likely to trigger further investigation into the movement of narcotics through Guwahati, which serves as a major transportation hub connecting Assam with other parts of the Northeast.

The police action also underscores the increasing focus on intercepting drug consignments before they reach their intended markets and preventing narcotics from reaching young people.

Further details about the identities of the arrested persons and the exact value and weight of the seized substances are awaited.

New Delhi, Aug 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday hailed the return of alleged drug kingpin Virender Singh Basoya from the United Arab Emirates, calling it a major milestone in the government’s “zero tolerance” policy against narcotics.

In a post on X, Shah said the Narendra Modi government was relentlessly pursuing drug traffickers operating from abroad and dismantling their networks.

“Modi govt is relentlessly tracking down drug traffickers hiding abroad and destroying their entire ecosystem with a ruthless approach,” Shah said.

“Creating a new milestone in the policy of zero tolerance against narcotics, the NCB secured the return of fugitive drug kingpin Virender Singh Basoya from the UAE,” he added.

According to the initial background shared in connection with the case, Basoya was brought to India from Dubai on Air India flight number 4310 following efforts by Indian authorities.

Basoya is an accused in the Pune drug case involving narcotics allegedly worth Rs 6,000 crore. The Narcotics Control Bureau had issued a Red Corner Notice against him, and he was subsequently arrested in Dubai.

He was deported to India following an initiative by the Government of India, marking what authorities described as a significant success in the country’s ongoing crackdown on international drug trafficking networks.

Basoya is considered close to Sandeep Dhunia, who is described as the main accused in a Delhi Police drug case involving narcotics worth around Rs 13,000 crore.

Dhunia, according to the information provided, managed to travel from Dubai to Pakistan.

Shah said Indian agencies had tracked Basoya by following the criminal network at multiple levels.

“By tracing the criminal through a top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approach, our agencies have once again proven that no matter where drug traffickers hide, they cannot escape the long arm of Indian law,” the Home Minister said.

The development is being seen as a major success for the NCB and other agencies involved in pursuing fugitives accused of operating large-scale narcotics networks from overseas.

The government has repeatedly maintained that its anti-drug strategy focuses not only on individual traffickers but also on dismantling the wider financial, logistical and criminal ecosystem supporting narcotics syndicates.

New Delhi, Aug 14: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested another accused in connection with the targeted killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar in Punjab’s Nangal town.

The accused, identified as Manveer Ram alias Ashu, was intercepted by immigration authorities at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar on Thursday based on a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued by the NIA. He was subsequently taken into custody by the agency and is expected to be produced before the Special NIA Court for further legal proceedings.

The case, registered as RC-06/2024/NIA/DLI, pertains to the murder of Vikas Prabhakar, a local VHP leader who was shot dead in April 2024. The NIA assumed charge of the investigation on May 9, 2024, and has since filed a chargesheet along with two supplementary chargesheets.

According to the agency, investigations have revealed that the conspiracy to assassinate Prabhakar was orchestrated by Germany-based operatives of the banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The key conspirators have been identified as Harjit Singh alias Laddi and Kulbeer Singh alias Sidhu.

The NIA said Manveer Ram played an important role in the conspiracy by arranging firearms intended for use in the killing. Operating from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he acted as a key intermediary between the foreign-based handlers and individuals involved in procuring weapons and coordinating activities in India.

Investigators have found that his role extended to facilitating communication between the overseas conspirators and their associates in India, thereby helping to execute the planned attack.

The agency is continuing its probe into the broader conspiracy and is examining the involvement of other individuals linked to the case.

Earlier in 2024, a 22-year-old arms supplier, Dharminder Kumar, was arrested by a joint team of the Delhi Police Special Cell and the NIA in connection with the murder. A resident of Ludhiana, Kumar was allegedly involved in arranging weapons for the accused.

During questioning, Kumar reportedly disclosed that after being released from jail in April 2024, he came into contact through social media with an individual based in a Middle Eastern country who instructed him to procure firearms.

Vikas Prabhakar, the president of the VHP’s Nangal unit, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at his confectionery shop in Punjab’s Nangal town on April 13, 2024.