Heroin seized from govt office in Arunachal Pradesh; one employee held

Itanagar: In a breakthrough under the ongoing anti-drug initiative ‘Operation Dawn 2.0’, the Itanagar Police on Monday apprehended a suspected drug supplier from the civil secretariat premises here, leading to the recovery of 44.36 grams of heroin, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

The man is currently employed as a multi-tasking staff (MTS) in the state horticulture department, Itanagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohit Rajbir Singh said, adding the total market value of the seized heroin is estimated to be around Rs 3.7 lakh.

The incident came to light when a staff member from the secretariat alerted police that a suspected peddler had been confined inside a bathroom on the third floor of Block 3 by vigilant security personnel.

The suspect was reportedly attempting to sell narcotics within the high-security government premises, the SP said.

A police team led by sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Kengo Dirchi and other police officers reached the spot and arrested the accused.

The suspect is a resident of Zero Point near Gompa Mandir here, originally hailing from Borgolai Milan Nagar under the jurisdiction of the Margherita Police Station in Assam’s Tinsukia district, Singh said.

"A personal search was conducted in the presence of first-class magistrate Oli Koyu (NDPS). During the search, eight plastic vials and a tobacco container with heroin, four used syringes and Rs 32,760 in cash were recovered from his possession," the SP said.

Upon interrogation, the accused revealed that additional contraband was concealed behind the bathroom window, leading to the recovery of 18 more plastic vials of suspected heroin and three scissors, Singh said.

All procedures related to the search, seizure, weighing, packing, and sealing were carried out in accordance with the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985, the SP said.

A case has been registered against the accused, and further investigation is currently underway, Singh said.

The SP also said the swift and coordinated police action underlines the department’s commitment to dismantling drug networks, even within sensitive and high-security zones.

He also commended the civil secretariat staff for their vigilance and timely assistance, which proved instrumental in the operation's success.