PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Champawat police nabbed a woman with Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) commonly called Ecstasy, estimated to be worth Rs 10 crore from an area bordering Nepal in Tanakpur on Saturday.
According to the police, checks have been stepped up along the border area in recent times and at 5:45 AM on Saturday the police were conducting a checking campaign near the Sharda canal along the border with Nepal. The police spotted a woman, later identified as Isha Kumar (22) from Banbasa, running towards the canal with a black backpack. Finding her actions suspicious, the police stopped her and checked her. They found 5.68 kilogrammes of MDMA in the bag.
According to the police, during questioning, the accused woman said that the contraband had been brought from Pithoragarh and given to her husband Rahul Kumar and his Tanakpur resident accomplice Kunal Kohli on June 27. Considering the heightened police checks, she was going to dump the contraband in the Sharda canal on the instructions of her husband.
MDMA, commonly known as MD, Ecstacy or Molly, is psychoactive drug with stimulant and psychedelic properties. It is commonly used in western countries and in India it is used mainly as part of the club culture by those who can afford it. The police informed that two packets containing the drug were found in the woman’s backpack. One had 3.26 kilogrammes while the second had 2.63 kilogrammes of the drug. With the estimated value of the contraband being Rs 18,000 per gramme, the total value of the seized drugs is estimated to be Rs 10.23 crore. According to officials, investigation into the nexus of those into manufacturing synthetic drugs is underway in Champawat and Pithoragarh districts and further action will be taken to nab criminals involved in such activities. The police are also searching for the arrested woman’s husband Rahul Kumar and his accomplice Kunal Kohli. The international links related to the contraband seized, especially the Nepali and Nigerian networks are also being investigated by the police.
Following the major seizure on Saturday, the police inspector general (Kumaon) Ridhim Agarwal announced a cash reward of Rs 20,000 for the police team which nabbed the accused.
