Assam Rifles busts hair smuggling trail from Tirupati to China

Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh is known for the tradition of hair offerings. Thousands of devotees shave their scalps in the temple as their prayers get answered. In a shocking revelation, Assam Rifles has busted the smuggling of these hair from India to China through Myanmar.

Senior officials from Assam Rifles in Mizoram said tonnes of this shaven human hair is being smuggled to China through an open border in Myanmar from where it gets smuggled into China. As per the officials, these human hair are reprocessed and recycled into fancy wigs. China later exports these wigs into various parts of the world. China holds 70 percent of the global wig market for which it has been deriving human hair mostly from India as revealed by the officials in Mizoram. Mizoram shares 510 Km of its border with Myanmar. The border is open and with tough terrain often leads to the smuggling of narcotics, weapons, and gold, while the Assam Rifles has busted the smuggling of human hair along the border.

In the month of February Assam Rifles successfully recovered a huge consignment of human hair. In its crusade against smuggling activities, the Serchhip Battalion of 23 Sector Assam Rifles, under the aegis of Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (East), recovered 120 bags of human hair without any valid documents in General Area Chhungte in Mizoram.

Operation conducted along with customs department

The operation was carried out by a team of Assam Rifles and Customs Department, Champhai District based on specific information. The approximate cost of the recovered human hair is Rs 1,80,00,000/-. Assam Rifles over the years have been a force reckoned to fight the smuggling menace in Mizoram, extensive anti-seizure operations have been successful in thwarting the smuggling nexus along the Indo-Myanmar border. The China wig racket is the latest menace that Assam Rifles has busted in the region.