In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, police arrested three individuals at multiple checkpoints along the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border near Dahod, seizing over 1,800 kilograms of opium worth more than Rs55 lakh.
The first operation took place near the Dhavadiya inter-state checkpoint in Jhalod taluka, where police intercepted a vehicle traveling from Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan. Upon questioning, the police became suspicious and searched the vehicle, uncovering 1,534 kilograms of opium worth Rs46,04,670 hidden under sacks. The arrested suspects, Nemi Chand Godara and Vinod Isarwal, both residents of Jodhpur, had taken an unusual route through Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur before returning to Jodhpur via Jhabua and Gujarat’s Dahod.
In a second operation near Dahod’s Katwara area, police intercepted a car coming from Madhya Pradesh. The driver attempted to flee but was apprehended after a chase. Santoshgiri Goswami, the driver, was arrested with 282 kilograms of opium valued at Rs8,47,350. The vehicle had come from Barmer, Rajasthan, and had picked up the narcotics in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, intending to bypass the usual border route to avoid increased security measures.
In total, the seizures amounted to Rs61 lakh, including the opium, mobile phones, and vehicles. The police suspect that the traffickers are now using these alternative routes as a strategy to circumvent intensified border checks in Rajasthan. Investigations are ongoing to uncover further links in the trafficking network.
