PURNIA, June 19 -- Purnia police have claimed to have busted a drug racket allegedly involved in exchanging stolen or snatched mobile phones for smack (a form of narcotics), officials said. In a covert operation based on intelligence inputs, police arrested one person and seized 16 stolen mobile phones along with 25 grams of smack. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Kaushal Kishor Kamal said, "Acting on a tip-off about a racket involved in exchanging stolen mobile phones for smack, we launched a secret operation and arrested a 53-year-old man, Tuntun Rishi, a resident of Abdullanagar under Sadar police station. He was carrying 16 stolen phones in a plastic bag and 25 grams of smack." During interrogation, the accused confessed that he used to buy stolen mobile phones in exchange for smack and later sold them at manipulated prices, the SDPO added. A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "This racket is a growing concern for the police as it involves both drug smuggling and mobile theft. While outgoing SP Kartikeya K Sharma took major steps to curb the drug menace, it continues to spread across every nook and corner of the region. Public cooperation is essential; otherwise, the situation may soon spiral out of control." Notably, under the leadership of SP Kartikeya K Sharma, Purnia police had launched a major crackdown on drug smuggling and arrested over 1,000 individuals between September last year and May this year. With Sharma now transferred as Senior SP of Patna, the responsibility to continue the crackdown has passed on to the newly appointed SP of Purnia, Sweety Sahrawat. In her brief interaction with the media after assuming charge on Wednesday, Sahrawat assured that the police would intensify efforts to combat drug smuggling in the region, which lies close to the Indo-Nepal border and has long been vulnerable to cross-border narcotics trafficking activities....