Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Railway Police and Customs Department agents intercepted nearly 24,000 kilograms of suspected Burmese areca nuts at the New Bongaigaon railway station. The bust occurred during a joint operation on the down-bound Humsafar Express train. Officials pulled 344 bags of the suspected supari from the cars.
The seizure marks another win against a growing smuggling trend. Smugglers use the railway network to move goods across state borders to dodge tax bills. These trains move tons of supari every single day. The railway remains a major route for the illegal trade. Enforcement agencies are working to choke off these supply lines.
Authorities view the rail system as a hot spot for illicit transport. As officials noted, the seizure has "once again highlighted concerns over the alleged use of the railway network to smuggle areca nuts across state borders and evade taxes." Operations to stop this smuggling are ongoing.
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