The Sikkim Government was left red-faced over a data entry error, indicating an unprecedented surge in heroin seizures between 2018-20.
As per the annual report sent to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Sikkim seized over 65,000 kg of heroin within these two years. Besides, the MHA also sought a clarification from the Sikkim Government.
In 2018, the seizure of 15,000 mg of heroin should have been entered as 0.015 kg. Similarly, in 2020, the 50,000 milligrams seized should have been recorded as 0.05 kg.
To address the errors and prevent further embarrassment, the administration is giving its data entry operators a crash course on the importance of the decimal point.
According to The Wire report, “The issue was first highlighted by Sathiyam TV editor-in-chief Aravindakshan, who sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the various paramilitary and police forces, investigating agencies and the Sikkim government. After patching the information together, it was evident that the numbers did not add up.”
“We asked the Sikkim police through an RTI application about who seized heroin in 2018 and 2020. The answer revealed that so much heroin was not seized in the state of Sikkim,” he said.
Similarly, in Manipur, heroin seizures have gone from around 17 kg in 2018 to over 260 kg in 2019 and more than 3,200 kg in 2020.
