In a coordinated operation, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of East Khasi Hills, Shillong, in collaboration with Lumdiengjri Police Station and Jhalupara Outpost, successfully conducted a major drug bust in Jhalupara on Wednesday night. Superintendent of Police (SP), East Khasi Hills, Sylvester Nongtnger, revealed that the operation, based on credible intelligence, led to the arrest of 50-year-old Aisha Khatoon, alias Pahari, a resident of Lower Paltan Bazar, Shillong.
“During the raid, authorities recovered 73 vials containing suspected heroin, weighing 9.72 grams, along with four mobile phones and cash amounting to ₹27,410,” SP Nongtnger stated. He added, “A criminal case has been registered under Lumdiengjri PS Case No. 103/24, invoking sections 21(b) and 27A of the NDPS Act. Further investigation into the case is currently ongoing.”
Nongtnger highlighted Khatoon’s notorious record as a repeat offender. “This lady has been arrested earlier, also in 2015 in an NDPS case. In 2017, she was arrested again for the same offense, and in 2023, she was taken into custody. After getting out on bail, she resumed her drug peddling operations. She is one of the permanent drug peddlers involved in drug trafficking, and as per our records, she is the only one with four cases registered against her.”
The SP assured that efforts are underway to identify her accomplices and the sources of the substances she distributes. “We will work hard to unearth her network and find out from where she brings these substances,” he said.
Given her repeated offenses, the police are now considering taking more stringent measures. “This time, we will propose her detention under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PIT NDPS). Her main areas of operation include Jhalupara, Mawprem, and Lumdiengjri, which is her primary base of operations.”
SP Nongtnger also mentioned that although no accused from East Khasi Hills has been detained under PIT NDPS so far, several proposals have been sent to the authorities, including Khatoon’s case. “We have processed other cases as well, and she is one of them,” he concluded.