Sabroom, a usually calm town in South Tripura, is now shaken after the arrest of pharmacist Abhijit De, also known as Tom Tom. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained him on November 18 at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Abhijit, aged 38, owns Vivekananda Medical Hall in Sabroom market. Residents believed he ran a regular pharmacy. However, investigators claim he secretly operated illegal networks. According to sources, he supplied narcotics to buyers in Sabroom and nearby areas.
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A Network of Illegal Activities
Authorities also found evidence of human trafficking links, especially across the Bangladesh border. In addition, Abhijit arranged medical travel to cities like Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Officials now suspect he used this service as a cover for trafficking.
Arrest at Kolkata Airport
Agencies including the NCB, NIA, and CBI tracked him for months. Eventually, they gathered strong evidence and moved in. On November 18, he travelled from Agartala with two patients — Murari Debnath and his wife Swapna from Daulbari — on an Indigo flight to Kolkata. They planned to continue to Chennai’s Apollo Hospital.
However, once they reached the airport lounge in Kolkata, NCB and NIA officers detained him. The two patients had no link to the case, so authorities sent them back to Agartala on November 19.
Community Shocked
The arrest surprised many residents. Locals describe Abhijit as polite and helpful.
“It is hard to believe,” said Kumud Ranjan Bhowmik, a government employee in Sabroom. “He behaved well with everyone. We never imagined he was running such dangerous activities.”
Investigation Still Active
Abhijit now remains in custody. Investigating agencies expect more details to emerge as the questioning continues. Officials also believe the case may lead to more arrests.
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