In a major development in the widely discussed Phensedyl smuggling case linked to Teliamura police station under Khowai district of Tripura, four police personnel, including senior officers, have been arrested by the Crime Branch on charges of alleged involvement in the misappropriation of seized contraband.
The arrested officers have been identified as Inspector Ajit Debbarma, the second officer-in-charge (Second OC) of Teliamura police station; Sub-Inspector (SI) Rajendra Reang; Woman Sub-Inspector (SI) Sampa Das; and ASI Sachindra Debbarma, In-Charge of the Special Branch’s Teliamura Unit. The action was reportedly taken under the direction of Tripura Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar.
All four accused were produced before the Khowai District Court on Monday. The investigation is being led by Anti-Narcotics Wing DSP Paushadhan Rupini and Inspector Raghulal.
According to investigators, a huge quantity of Phensedyl syrup was recovered during an anti-drug operation, but only 518 bottles were officially shown as seized in government records. The accused officers allegedly attempted to siphon off and conceal the remaining consignment, triggering a secret internal investigation by the Crime Branch.
Meanwhile, Tripura police headquarters through a press statement on Monday afternoon said that “On the direction of DGP Tripura, Anurag Dhankar, Tripura Police registered a criminal case after seizure tampering at Teliamura police station on 20–21 May 2026”.
Case registered: TLM PS Case No. 025/2026 dated 24.05.2026 under sections 305, 306, 316(5), 61 of BNS and 21(c) & 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. Reporting/Investigating Officer: Inspector Jayanta Kr. Dey, O/C Teliamura PS and complainant: Justin Joseph, TPS Grade-I, Addl. SP, Khowai. Accused persons are Inspector Ajit Debbarma, SI Rajendra Reang, WSI Sampa Das (all Teliamura PS) and ASI Sachindra Debbarma (SB Organisation, Khowai).
Police statemen in its summary of the case said that “during mobile patrol on 20 May 2026, Teliamura police station staff intercepted a white Eco car and recovered a consignment of codeine-based Eskuf cough syrup. Seizure proceedings were recorded at the station. Subsequent review of Teliamura police station CCTV footage revealed that portions of the recovered consignment were removed from the GD Room prior to formal seizure and recordation”.
The statement added that preliminary examination of footage shows that approximately 245 bottles (100 ml each) of Eskuf cough syrup — an amount constituting commercial quantity under the NDPS Act — were dishonestly removed and concealed by the accused personnel.
The seizure officer did not account for the full consignment during the formal seizure process.
As per the direction of the DGP, police have registered a criminal case and an impartial investigation is underway and all accused have been suspended and on Monday arrested before they were being produced in the court, said PHQ statement.
Sources said the investigators suspect that the accused officers may have had long-standing links with drug traffickers operating in the region. The possibility of a larger narcotics network behind the incident is also being probed.
A special Crime Branch team reportedly reached Teliamura police station late Sunday night and carried out the arrest operation. SI Rajendra Reang and Inspector Ajit Debbarma had earlier been withdrawn from Teliamura Police Station on May 23 and shifted to the Khowai Police Lines. They were later produced in court from there with a plea for police remand.
Meanwhile, Woman SI Sampa Das and ASI Sachindra Debbarma were taken into custody, medically examined, and subsequently produced before the court. During the court proceedings, the arrested woman police officer reportedly broke down in tears.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage across Khowai district and the state, raising serious questions about alleged collusion between law enforcement personnel and narcotics smugglers. Political reactions have also intensified, with opposition parties targeting the administration over the matter.
As the investigation progresses, public attention is now focused on the court’s observations, further findings of the Crime Branch, and the next steps to be taken by the state police administration.