Estimated to be worth Rs 164 crore, Manipur Police recovered around 41 kg of illegal brown sugar and arrested two people at Lilong Haorou Hangamthambi in Thoubal district, on Thursday evening.
Based on intelligence inputs about a brown sugar factory, a team of Thoubal police including women personnel reached the residence of one Md. Tomba Phundreimayum, 32, at around 4.15 pm and launched a search operation, Superintendent of Police (Thoubal) Sarangthem Ibomcha Singh said.
The police team recovered around 41 kg of suspected brown sugar, packed in three different bags along with 110 litres of morphinated liquid, one lime bag weighing 5.28 kg and suspected ammonium chloride weighing 1.274 kg used for producing the illegal drugs. Two mobile phones were also seized, the police officer said.
The police team also arrested two individuals Md. Saukat Ali (35) and a Chinneilam Haokip (28) who were involved in manufacturing such illegal drugs.
The state police have for the last few weeks intensified its crackdown on illegal activities in the wake of upcoming by-elections scheduled on November 7.
Three of their associates, though, took advantage of the darkness and managed to escape with “strong efforts being made to arrest them”, he said. An FIR has been registered at Lilong police station.