GUWAHATI, Feb 12 - The Railway Protection Force (RPF) under Maligaon-headquartered Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has managed to increase its success rate with regard to recovery of contrabands with a total of 134 such cases detected during 2016.
Official sources said that various contraband goods like ganja, phensedyl, liquor and cigarettes were recovered on 134 occasions during last year as against only 70 such cases in 2015, registering a year-on-year growth of over 91 per cent success rate in operations to seize such items.
The value of the contraband items recovered in 2016 was Rs 3.63 crore compared to Rs 2.62 crore in 2015. This was a growth of over 36 per cent.
In addition, 68 persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in shipping of contraband items, which is a big jump from 24 arrests made by RPF in the NFR zone during 2015.
�There has been a substantial increase in detection, recovery and arrests,� said an official.
RPF also detected 41 cases of illegal carrying of forest products at various places under the NFR zone during 2016.
The recovered items were worth almost Rs 25 lakh. Altogether, 5 arrests were made in connection with illegal transportation of forest products by the RPF.
�The detection and recovery made in this regard increased by 32.25 per cent and over 398 per cent respectively in 2016 as compared to 2015,� the official said.
During the year, RPF of NFR also recovered explosives, including four power gel 801 explosives, four coils of red, blue, yellow and green-coloured wires measuring about 12 feet each, 35 packets of detonators, 74 packets of gelatine sticks and 31 coils of fuse wire.
Besides, it also recovered 20 live rounds of ammunition of INSAS rifle, ten rounds of 9 mm pistol bullets, three rounds of AK-47 ammunition, five rounds of 7.62 mm pistol bullets and one pistol.
A total of nine persons were arrested for carrying the recovered explosives, arms and ammunitions.
NFR Public Relations Officer (PRO) Nripen Bhattacharya said that for the interest of rail users, RPF security helpline No. 182 has been introduced and made active in all security control rooms of the divisions for providing quick assistance to passengers in need.
�Presently, 13 lines of help line No. 182 are operational to receive grievances of passengers, including three each in Katihar, Lumding and Alipurduar divisions, and two each in Rangiya and Tinsukia divisions. Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) has been constituted at some important railway stations for attending to the callers in need and to take necessary steps,� he said.
