UP: Man arrested with 18 kg charas worth Rs 9 cr seized at India-Nepal border
Maharajganj (UP) (PTI): A joint team of the Sashastra Seema Bal and the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a man near the India-Nepal border in Maharajganj district on Monday, and seized 18 kg of charas, valued at around Rs 9 crore in the international market, officials said.
ASP Siddharth said the accused, identified as Hemant Singh, a resident of Ghazipur district, was intercepted during routine checking while entering India from Nepal in a Swift car through the Nautanwa area.
During a search, police recovered 18 kg of charas packed in 38 packets from the vehicle bearing the registration number DL 3CC J 0602, the officer said.
Another member of the gang managed to flee, and efforts are underway to arrest him, Siddharth said.
Singh is suspected to be a carrier of the contraband and is being interrogated to ascertain the larger network involved in the smuggling racket, he added.
Singh has been booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the officer said.
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SC asks states to treat rising child trafficking cases as grave; seeks coordinated action
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court has voiced grave concern over rising cases of child trafficking, saying gangs are operating across the country and if States and Union territories do not take immediate action, thing will go beyond control.
The court said only the state government and its home department can act vigilantly in this regard.
“As a court we can monitor, but ultimately the action has to be on the part of the state government, the police, and other agencies. Therefore, this is our humble request”, a bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan said during the hearing of a plea on Wednesday.
The bench was irked over the "lackadaisical" approach of several states and UTs in implementing a 2025 judgment aimed at dismantling organised trafficking networks.
Justice Viswanathan said the retrieval of children in some cases proves the problem can be tackled, but it requires a level of political and administrative will which is lacking at present.
The verdict, delivered on April 15, 2025, had mandated several institutional reforms, including completion of trials in trafficking cases within six months on a day-to-day basis.
It had also directed strengthening of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) and improving investigation standards.
Besides asking for setting up of state-level committees to monitor vulnerable trafficking hotspots, it had asked the authorities to treat missing children cases as trafficking unless proven otherwise.
Earlier, the bench had termed the compliance reports filed by a few states as "nothing but an eye wash."
On Wednesday, the bench noted that Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Odisha, and Punjab had still failed to file reports in the prescribed format.
When the home secretary of Madhya Pradesh offered an apology for the lapse, the bench granted a "final opportunity" but warned that continued failure would lead to states being officially branded as "defaulting".
The bench noted that at least 15 states are yet to constitute review committees mandated to identify and monitor trafficking-prone areas.
The matter will now be heard on April 29.
