AGARTALA, February 11 (TIWN): Police arrested five persons at Kashipur here on wednesday for allegedly smuggling ganja. Around 68kg of the contraband was seized from them.

 Acting on a tip-off police along with Assam Riffle raided a bus bearing number TR01-BC-8989 which was proceeding towards Guwahati from Agartala side and made the arrests.

Taking to TIWN officer-in-charge of East Agartala Police Station S. Basu Roy Choudhury said that we had information about ganja being transported in the bus.

The five arrested are Ratan Dey (27) resident of Rangamura South Tripura, Swapan Chakraborty (60) resident of Brindaban West Bengal, Amit Bal (20) resident of Rangamura South Tripura, Ananta Haldar (50) resident of Nadia West Bengal and Shefali Chakraborty (65) resident of Rangamura South Tripura.

The cost of the seized ganja is Rs. 3, 50, 000, the officer said.

During interrogation, the five confessed that they were smuggling the ganja to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, the officer added.

According to a source, large parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar are emerging as drug consuming zones, and bordering areas of Tripura are contributing to the fast­ emerging drugs market. Smugglers based in Tripura are sending these contraband items to Bangladesh virtually by the truckload, hundreds of acres of remote land in West Tripura have become sprawling ganja plantations, the source informed.