Local Betel Nut Syndicate Resurfaces in Cachar; Police Accused of Taking Rs. 5,000 Per Truck

Years after fighting the Burmese Areca (Supari) syndicate actively running through Cachar so that the local area growers don’t have to face any losses, unfortunately, now local areca growers of Cachar are finding themselves ensnared in a new web of corruption — this time, within their own soil. A viral video has once again ripped the lid off the deep-rooted nexus between corrupt police personnel and an alleged syndicate exploiting local betel nut traders.

The footage, reportedly shot outside the Joypur Police Outpost in Cachar, shows uniformed officers collecting money from vehicles loaded with local betel nuts. According to multiple sources, every such vehicle must pay a “pass fee” of Rs. 5,000 to move past the outpost. The extortion, alleged to be a daily routine, is said to continue around the clock.

Local farmers claim this system of organised bribery has crippled their livelihood. Drivers, too, allege that refusal to pay leads to harassment — their vehicles are stopped on false pretexts, documents scrutinised unnecessarily, or goods delayed until payments are made.

The viral clip, reportedly filmed on Sunday night, shows a glimpse of “institutionalised corruption” which demands an impartial probe.

However, insiders allege that the police visible in the video are merely the front face of a much larger racket. Local transporters allege that the real syndicate has been run by powerful people who control the trade routes for the past two years, and have been collecting huge sums from every vehicle leaving the district.

If these allegations hold, Cachar’s supari trade now stands compromised by a nexus of greed and power.

Who are these “powerful people” orchestrating the racket? Who in the system is enabling them? How deep does this network run within Cachar’s law enforcement and trade administration?

Stay tuned as more layers of Cachar’s Supari Syndicate are being uncovered.