Soldier held for drug peddling in Belgaum

The police have recovered more than 500 grams of brown sugar worth Rs 9 million from three persons including a defence personnel in Belgaum in Karnataka.

Belgaum district police superintendent Hemant Nimbalkar told reporters that the seized narcotic substance was part of the consignment that had been brought to India from Myanmar for dispatch to different parts of southern and central India.

Acting on a tip-off, the Belgaum police rounded up the three persons at the bus stand in the town. The arrested persons include Tombram Singh, 27, a native of Manipur and a soldier attached to the AHR and R, New Delhi. He had travelled along with another accused Yalangbam Singh, 28, also a native of Manipur, from Delhi to Belgaum by a truck.

The duo was caught while they were handing over the drugs to Narayan Majgaonkar, 26, a native of Karwar, who was all set to leave with the consignment to Goa. Police said another soldier Ramesh Sawant, a native of Karwar and attached to Army Dental Corps, Rajasthan, was also involved in the drug racket. However, Sawant is absconding, he said.

Nimbalkar said Belgaum had emerged as a transit point for drug peddlers in view of its proximity to the tourist haven of Goa. The Belgaum police had had recovered a total of 50 kgs of narcotic substances including brown sugar and hashish in the town during the last few months.

The solider Tombram Singh, who was arrested by the Belgaum police, was on leave. He and his associate had packed brown sugar in a bag used to carry a laptop. On interrogation, they revealed that they had bought the drugs from a source in Delhi, who had in turn received it from Myanmar.