Assam Rifles and Customs seize 501 kg of ganja in Khowai, Tripura
Assam Rifles troops and Customs officers seized 501 kg of ganja in a joint operation in Khowai district, Tripura, on 8 October 2026, after chasing a vehicle from West Sonatala. The smugglers abandoned the load near Baikhuntapur village and the driver escaped; no arrests were reported, and officials valued the consignment at Rs 2.50 crore.
🇮🇳 Baikhuntapur village, Khowai district, Tripura · India
- Cannabis
- 501 kg
- Value (official estimate)
- INR 25,000,000
Troops of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force, and Customs officers seized
501 kg of ganja, the cannabis preparation sold in India, in a joint operation on
8 October 2026.[1] The smugglers abandoned the contraband at an isolated
location near Baikhuntapur village, Khowai, Tripura, after a pursuit that
started at West Sonatala.[1] The driver of the vehicle escaped from the spot.[2] No arrest was reported in connection with the seizure.[2]
The chase ended about 18 km short of Hezamara block, on the boundary between
West Tripura and Khowai districts.[3] A press release put the estimated value
of the seized ganja at Rs 2.50 crore.[3] The operation was based on
intelligence inputs and continuous surveillance.[3] The recovered contraband
was handed over to Customs for further investigation and legal proceedings.[3]
Assam Rifles said the recovery highlighted continued efforts with partner
agencies to disrupt trafficking networks operating through the Northeast.[3] A
police official said dry ganja produced in Tripura is not consumed locally and
is smuggled to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, where it fetches higher prices.[4]
Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, cultivating,
possessing or selling cannabis is illegal and can attract up to 20 years in
prison.[4]
Sources
- ASSAM RIFLES SEIZES GANJA WORTH ₹2.50 CRORE IN TRIPURA. The Assam Rifles, 9 October 2026.
- Massive Drug Bust: Assam Rifles and Customs Seize 501 kg of Ganja in Tripura. The Sentinel, 10 October 2026.
- Customs, Assam Rifles seize ganja worth Rs. 2.50 cr in Tripura. Tripura Times, 9 October 2026.
- Assam Rifles, Customs seize 501 kg of ganja worth Rs 2.50 crore in Tripura. Lokmat Times, 9 October 2026.
Open questions the AI reported
- No report says whether the smugglers or the vehicle were later traced; the driver escaped and no arrest had been reported when the accounts were published.
- The Rs 2.50 crore figure is the authorities' estimate of the consignment's value, given in a press release, not an independently checked market price.
- The reports do not say where the ganja was grown or where it was being taken; a police official quoted by IANS described Tripura-grown ganja being smuggled to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh only in general terms.
- ASSAM RIFLES SEIZES GANJA WORTH ₹2.50 CRORE IN TRIPURA (The Assam Rifles) could not be opened again to check its quotations (the browser could not load the submitted public page); what it says is as the AI read it.