Port Blair: In a late-night anti-drug operation at Mayabunder Jetty, police intercepted a passenger arriving from Kolkata aboard MV Nalanda and seized more than one kilogram of suspected ganja concealed inside his luggage, exposing yet another attempt to use inter-island sea routes for smuggling narcotics into the islands. The accused, identified as 55-year-old Seken Dafadar from North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, was arrested on the spot after police allegedly recovered 1.032 kilograms of ganja from a trolley suitcase during a surprise check conducted soon after the vessel docked on Monday night.
Acting swiftly on specific intelligence inputs, the Mayabunder Police launched a targeted operation at Mayabunder Jetty and apprehended the suspected drug carrier travelling aboard MV Nalanda from Kolkata.
According to information recorded in the FIR, police received credible intelligence on May 25 indicating that Seken Dafadar was transporting a substantial quantity of illicit ganja and would be arriving at Mayabunder Port by sea. The information was immediately passed on to Superintendent of Police, North & Middle Andaman, Vikas Swamy, IPS, who directed the formation of a special raiding team.
Armed with search and seizure materials, the police team reached the jetty and began checking passengers disembarking from the vessel. At around 10 pm, officers noticed a passenger carrying a grey trolley suitcase behaving suspiciously. He was immediately stopped and questioned. The passenger identified himself as Seken Dafadar. During a search of the suitcase conducted in the presence of independent witnesses, police allegedly recovered a plastic packet containing dry green flowering and leafy material suspected to be ganja. Officials of the SOCO team later conducted a preliminary examination using a field testing kit, which reportedly confirmed the seized substance as ganja. The contraband weighed 1.032 kilograms. Police subsequently seized both the ganja and the trolley suitcase under prescribed legal procedures and completed all mandatory formalities under the NDPS Act before placing the accused under arrest.
The latest seizure has once again highlighted concerns over the use of passenger vessels and maritime routes for trafficking narcotic substances into the islands, prompting renewed attention towards intensified surveillance at ports and jetties.
