80 Bags of Betel Nuts Seized ; One Arrested in Panitanki During SSB Operation
Falakata/Panitanki, November 30, 2025 — In a major crackdown on illegal betel nut smuggling, the SSB Panitanki QRT (Quick Reaction Team) conducted yet another successful operation, seizing a large consignment of betel nuts and arresting one person.
Acting on reliable intelligence, the SSB team launched an operation on Asian Highway–2 near the Rathkhola petrol pump, approximately 8 km from Border Pillar 89/4. During the operation, a Bolero pick-up truck transporting betel nuts was intercepted and thoroughly searched.
The driver identified himself as Ishad Ali (24), a resident of Meriview Tea Garden in Hatighisa under Naxalbari, Darjeeling district. During questioning, he revealed that he was transporting the betel nuts from Nihaljot in Naxalbari to Falakata and was promised a payment of ₹5,000 for the job.
Ali further confessed that the consignment belonged to a man named Deep, who is allegedly involved in smuggling betel nuts from Nepal. According to the accused, the smuggled items are brought in small consignments from Nepal and stocked in Nihaljot before being distributed to different locations.
The seized items include:
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80 bags of betel nuts
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One Bolero pick-up vehicle
The arrested individual and the confiscated goods will be handed over to the Panitanki Customs Office under Section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, officials said.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the smuggling network.
