📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Plentyhabib19
Crime
Jute Smuggling Takes New Route via Dhubri’s Riverine Border in Assam
✍️ India Today NE
🗓 20 Aug 2026, 05:38 PM
👁 3
Authorities say the riverine stretch of Dhubri in Assam is being used increasingly for cross‑border jute smuggling.
Security officials in Assam have reported a rise in illicit movement of jute through the riverine border of Dhubri district. The waterway, which runs along the international boundary with Bangladesh, is being exploited as a convenient channel for smuggling the fibre crop across the border.
Jute, a traditional cash crop of the region, commands significant market value both domestically and abroad. Smugglers are reportedly using small boats to transport the commodity under the cover of night, bypassing standard customs checks that are more stringent on road and rail routes.
State police and border security forces have stepped up surveillance along the river, deploying patrol boats and increasing coordination with Bangladeshi counterparts. The aim is to curb the illegal trade, protect local farmers’ earnings, and prevent revenue loss for the government.
Jute, a traditional cash crop of the region, commands significant market value both domestically and abroad. Smugglers are reportedly using small boats to transport the commodity under the cover of night, bypassing standard customs checks that are more stringent on road and rail routes.
State police and border security forces have stepped up surveillance along the river, deploying patrol boats and increasing coordination with Bangladeshi counterparts. The aim is to curb the illegal trade, protect local farmers’ earnings, and prevent revenue loss for the government.