The jawans with the contraband on Wednesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati, June 18: Three army jawans working as couriers of contraband stuff were arrested with 170kg Manipuri ganja from Guwahati station this morning.

A team of Government Railway Police, tipped off by informers, arrested the trio from platform number six with the ganja, estimated to be worth Rs 5 lakh.

A GRP officer said all three, posted at the Gorkha Rifles’ Training Centre in Shillong, had gone to Manipur on leave to fetch the consignment. “They were about to board the Guwahati-Delhi Sampark Kranti Express for Allahabad when the GRP team apprehended them around 7am today,” he said.

Prasant Tamang, 28, Ajit Thapa, 24, and Prasanna Tamang, 32, have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and a case was registered against them at the GRP police station at Guwahati station.

While Prasant is from Darjeeling, Ajit is from Manipur and Prasanna from Sikkim. Theywill be produced in court tomorrow.

“They had collected the contraband from Manipur and reached the city by road yesterday. After spending the night on the platform, the trio were about to board the Delhi-bound train when they were caught,” the officer said.

The ganja was found in 34 small packets kept inside suitcases and bags.

During interrogation, Prasanna told the police that he was in desperate need of Rs 60,000 for treatment of a bone deformity in one leg.

“We have apprised the army authorities and they have informed us that the accused jawans have been placed under suspension,” the officer said.