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Illicit & flowing in crores |
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Dimapur, Feb 6 (MExN) : The Dimapur district administration publicly destroyed 2610 cases of assorted IMFL on Saturday, February 6 at Medziphema. It was a bitter-sweet experience for some, who witnessed the destruction today. There was a sense of approval and satisfaction on one hand that the authorities in concern are doing something concrete to enforce the prohibition Act, although credit must go the 20th Assam Rifles for the catch. There was also a grain of resentment and melancholy, though not visible, that so much was also being wasted, after all lots of man-hours and investment was definitely involved in the manufacture of the liquor. But the law took its course.
The illicit consignment that was literally poured away into oblivion was seized by the 20th AR from three trucks. It was on the intervening night of January 16 and 17 last along the stretch of NH 39. The liquor is said to be worth around Rs 1.2 crore in the local market. One lathode launcher and two pistols were also found from the trucks. Nine men, three from each truck were detained and later handed over to Medziphema police station after the catch. The trucks bore the registration numbers - NL 01 A 6474, NL 07 A 2298 & AS 01P 0158 - and were caught separately. The last two were detained together between Piphema and Pherima while the first was detected at Jharnapani.
All of the bottles and cans were destroyed in the presence of the public including women leaders of Medziphema town. Policemen required extra hands, in the form of all too eager youth volunteers, to unload the massive cargo of the trucks. The actual destruction was even peskier affair. With no proper dumping site, authorities were compelled to do it the cumbersome way i.e. uncapping the bottles and letting it pour away on an open ground. Straightaway smashing the glass bottles would have proven hazardous to humans and stock animals. Either way, environmentalists would have disproved, for the chances of grass growing on the ground over which the liquor was dumped is very bleak.Today’s was the biggest destruction of illicit liquor caught on the same day (night in this case) in recent memory. Details of the detained or any further input were not disclosed on the reason that such may compromise the progress of investigations.
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