DAMAULI: Police arrested three youths for possessing banned pharmaceutical drugs in Aanbukhaireni Rural Municipality-3 of Tanahun district, on Tuesday night.

Tanahun District Police Office (DPO) identified the arrestees as Umesh Khadka (22) and Utsav Khadka (26), both the residents of Aanbukhaireni-3 and Janak Shrestha (22) of Palungtar Municipality-8 in Gorkha district, currently residing in Aanbukhaireni-3.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of police deployed from Aanbukhaireni-based Area Police Office, under the command of Inspector Buddhi Prasad Subedi raided the rented room of Umesh Khadka at Thado Line and arrested him along with 1,535 tablets of Trauma, 1,672 tablets of Decough, 14 ampoules of each Diazepam, Phenergan and Nurofen, five mobile phone sets, and Rs 32,050 cash hidden in the room, chief at the DPO, Superintendent of Police (SP) Binod Silwal informed. 

Police had to interrogate arrestee Umesh to learn the whereabouts of two others belonging to the smuggling racket before making their arrest the same day.

Meanwhile, the arrested have been charged with the offence under the Narcotic Drugs (Control) Act, 2033 (1976), and further investigation into the case is underway, said SP SIlwal.

Recently, police have heightened vigilance, security check and patrol after report of increased activity of smuggling rackets in the region, police informed.