Dibrugarh: Dibrugarh police on Friday night seized 1.35 kg of heroin and Rs 14,06,600 in cash from a pickup vehicle and the residential premises of an accused couple in Tingkhong, in what officials described as one of the district’s biggest recent hauls.Acting on specific secret information, a police team under Tingkhong Police Station launched a late-night operation targeting a pickup suspected of transporting narcotics and the couple’s house, which police believe was being used to store contraband for onward distribution.“We launched this operation after receiving a tip-off regarding a narcotics trade being run from this location. This is one of the biggest narcotics operations conducted by the police in recent times. During the operation, 1.35 kg of heroin concealed in 107 soap boxes along with Rs 14,06,600 in cash was recovered from the pickup vehicle and the house premises of the accused persons,” a police officer said.Police also seized two vehicles — the pickup allegedly used to transport the drugs and an SUV believed to be linked to the operation.Gulapi Gogoi was apprehended during the raid, police said, while her husband, Manoj Gogoi, identified as the alleged main accused, escaped and remains absconding. Police said a search is underway and further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.The seizure follows a recent drug destruction drive in Dibrugarh where police incinerated narcotics worth an estimated Rs 1.4 crore — including 271 grams of heroin and 77 kg of marijuana — at the Assam Medical College and Hospital’s Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility on June 26, coinciding with the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The exercise was overseen by IGP (Law & Order) Akhilesh Kumar Singh and Dibrugarh SSP Abhijit Gurav, and followed 67 NDPS Act cases and 112 arrests over the preceding nine months.dutta.rajib@gmail.com
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