'No evidence of underground tunnel': Mizoram DRI, police counter COCOMI allegations

Aizawl, Jan. 28: Following the allegations made by the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) about the existence of a secret underground tunnel along the Mizoram-Myanmar border, reportedly used for smuggling drugs, the officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Aizawl has strongly refuted allegations.

COCOMI, in a press release dated January 25, claimed, “The organisation is deeply alarmed by recent reports revealing the existence of a secret underground tunnel along the Myanmar-India border, allegedly used for smuggling drugs into Indian territories (NEWS18 reports/The People’s Chronicle Dated 25 January, 2025) This revelation poses a grave threat to the national security of India, particularly to the already vulnerable Northeastern region and its indigenous population.”

COCOMI further highlighted in the press release that the tunnel is large enough to accommodate heavy vehicles and is being used to smuggle drugs into Indian territories. It further alleged complicity by certain groups in Mizoram in a larger conspiracy to create a Christian state, “Zo-land,” spanning parts of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

The DRI in Mizoram dismissed the claims made by the COCOMI as baseless and an attempt to tarnish Mizoram’s reputation. The Directorate said that it has no knowledge of any underground tunnel being used to facilitate the smuggling of contraband substances.

A DRI official stated, “We have seized 231 kgs of methamphetamine smuggled from Myanmar through Mizoram including 16 kgs of heroin, 1,375 kgs of ganja and 3.7 kgs of hydroponic weed, worth over Rs. 355 crore since the financial year beginning of April 2024 till January this year; but we have never known about the existence of a secret underground tunnel along Mizoram-Myanmar border through which the contrabands were smuggled as alleged by the press release of COCOMI.”

The official further added that these drugs were smuggled from Myanmar through Mizoram and intercepted at various locations in the Northeastern region, including Cachar in Assam and Agartala in Tripura.

Additionally, the DRI clarified that their operations are part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks in the Northeast. Since the beginning of the current financial year, 36 cases of smuggling have been booked, and 70 individuals, including seven women, have been arrested in connection with drug trafficking activities. The agency e.

Officials from the Assam Rifles, which guard the 404-kilometer-long Mizoram-Myanmar border, also denied the existence of such a tunnel. An Assam Rifles officer stated that they had not encountered or even heard rumors of any underground passage along the international border.

An officer explained that the porous nature of the border presents challenges in preventing smuggling, but the presence of such a structure would not have gone unnoticed.

The Mizoram state police echoed similar sentiments, dismissing the allegations as unfounded. A senior police official pointed out that constructing a massive underground tunnel under the Tiau River, which demarcates the Mizoram-Myanmar border, would be a herculean task even for a government. The official criticized the claims as a figment of imagination, intended to malign the people of Mizoram and its administration.

In response to the allegations made by the Manipur civil body, a senior official from Mizoram’s home department reiterated that no such tunnel exists and dismissed the idea as impractical. The official stressed that the state government and security forces remain committed to combating drug trafficking and ensuring the safety and security of the border. The accusations, the official added, appear to be politically motivated and lack any credible evidence.