Sonamura, August 13 (TIWN): Sub Divisional administration and Tripura Police jointly conducted operation successfully. In a string of raids conducted jointly by Subhasis Das, SDM Sonamura, and Ashok Kr. Sinha, SDPO Sonamura, on Tuesday, August 12, 2014, substantial quantities of illicitly stored foreign liquor, Kerosene oil and Codeine Phosphate bottles were recovered from various areas of Sonamura Sub-Division. Besides, illegal garments worth Rs.2.50 lakh were also seized from a vehicle while being transported for smuggling across the border.

 The first raid was conducted at about 5:00 PM when acting on a tip off, the SDM Sonamura intercepted a Mahendra DI vehicle (Registration No. TR 01Y-1763) at a place nearby the Sonamura new Court building. On searching the vehicle, about 300 (Three hundred) expensive sarees were found, the market value of which would be about Rs.2.50 lakh. Both the vehicle and its driver Maman Miah were detained by the Sonamura PS. Thereafter, at about 7:00 PM another raid was conducted at Taxapara area where substantial quantities of foreign liquor were found concealed in a jungle behind the house of one Arun Das, who is known to have been involved in illegal liquor business. Since the foreign liquor was found in an abandoned state, no arrest was made. Close on the heels of the raid at Taxapara, another raid was conducted at Nalchar market area. It may be mentioned that recently there have been reports in the media about various illegal liquor business being carried out in Nalchar market. On searching the market stall owned by one Sri Pradip Debnath, cartons of illegally stored foreign liquor were recovered from the custody of his relative Sri Rajesh Debnath, who was then arrested by the Melaghar P.S. From another market stall in the market, about 150 litres of Kerosene Oil originally meant to be distributed through public distribution system was recovered. The kerosene oil allegedly belongs to one Sri Rinku Das of Dakshin Nalchar. Thereafter the raid team headed by the SDM Sonamura proceeded to the Sonamura Shopping Complex area, where a hotel named ‘Sarada hotel’ was raided at about 11.00 PM. During the raid which lasted for about one hour, sizeable quantity of foreign liquor and codeine phosphate syrup were recovered. However, the hotel-owner absconded. Notably a spurious liquor and codeine phosphate syrup manufacturing unit was also unearthed on searching another stall in the vicinity of Sarada hotel.