Operation Trident: 18 arrested in multi-agency drug raids across three Northeast states

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on October 25 that a multi-agency operation code-named Trident, carried out on October 23 at 38 locations across Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, led to the arrest of 18 people and targeted a narcotics trafficking network (Greater Kashmir, Pratidin Time, The Morung Express). Shah said in a post on X that the operation uncovered hawala transactions worth Rs 100 crore, froze 1,424 bank accounts, attached properties worth Rs 17.82 crore and yielded seizures of 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash (The Economic Times, Deccan Herald, The Times of India).

What every report agrees on

Every report places the searches on October 23 at 38 premises in Assam, Mizoram and Manipur, with 18 arrests announced by Shah on October 25 (The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Hindustan Times). All cite the same figures: Rs 100 crore in hawala transactions, 1,424 frozen bank accounts, properties attached at Rs 17.82 crore, 500 detonators and Rs 12 lakh in cash (India Today, Deccan Herald, The Times of India). Reports describe the network as operating across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh, with Hindustan Times quoting Shah's reference to a corridor he called the Death Triangle (Hindustan Times, Odisha Bytes, The Economic Times). Asianet Newsable attributes the operation to the Narcotics Control Bureau and describes it as a network-centric approach to drug enforcement (Asianet Newsable), while The Morung Express sources its account to the Ministry of Home Affairs (The Morung Express). No report disputes that the operation took place.

How the left-leaning press told it

The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Hindustan Times and Deccan Herald: Lethal blow to cartels

Left-leaning outlets led with Shah's announcement and his characterisation of the operation. The Hindu wrote that the crackdowns smashed an international narco-cartel and reported the hawala, bank account and seizure figures (The Hindu). The New Indian Express said Shah announced the dismantling of an international narcotics syndicate operating across India, Myanmar and Bangladesh (The New Indian Express), and Hindustan Times carried his phrase about another lethal blow along with his reference to a cross-border corridor (Hindustan Times). Deccan Herald foregrounded the money trail, putting the Rs 100 crore in hawala transactions and the 1,424 frozen accounts in its headline (Deccan Herald).

How the right-leaning press told it

The Times of India, India Today and The Economic Times: Hawala money trail

Outlets rated centre-right carried the same official figures and attribution. The Times of India reported Shah announcing a crackdown on an international narcotics cartel and listed the arrests, frozen accounts and attached properties (The Times of India). India Today led on the Rs 100 crore hawala trail linked to a transnational trafficking network (India Today). The Economic Times noted that the details came from Shah's post on X and that the network trafficked narcotics across the borders of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh (The Economic Times).

The coverage of this story does not divide along left and right lines.

What the record shows

The figures in all reports trace to Shah's post on X and a Ministry of Home Affairs account rather than to independent verification (The Economic Times, The Morung Express). Outlets differ in how firmly they state the conclusion: The Hindu and The New Indian Express describe the cartel as smashed or dismantled (The Hindu, The New Indian Express), while Pratidin Time and Odisha Bytes call the network alleged (Pratidin Time, Odisha Bytes). NorthEast Now, drawing on the Enforcement Directorate, presents the matter as an investigation still under way, pointing to a five-storey commercial building in Champhai, a homemaker's bank account said to have received large sums despite modest family income, and a Mini-ATM counter in Manipur that processed thousands of transactions (NorthEast Now). None of the reports sets out the evidence underlying the Rs 100 crore figure or names those arrested.

Drafted by the Alethman engine from 13 independent reports, and checked by an editor before publication. An outlet's side comes from published media-bias ratings (Media Bias/Fact Check, AllSides) or documented ownership, named under the coverage bar; Alethman does not rate outlets itself.