Phulbani: Police seized properties worth over Rs4 crore of the kingpin of an interstate ganja smuggling ring in Kandhamal district and arrested another accused, sources said Thursday.
The recent arrest takes the total number of arrests to nine, SP Ramendra Prasad said at a presser held at the district police headquarters Thursday.
The latest accused, identified as Rupesh Pradhan, allegedly worked as the manager of the kingpin, Dilip Gouda. He was arrested in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
Rupesh is a resident of Khajurinala under Baliguda police limits in Kandhamal. Kandhamal SP Ramendra Prasad told reporters that assets worth about Rs 4 crore linked to Dilip have been seized and frozen.
The case dates back to June 4, 2025, when police intercepted a Mahindra Bolero MUV and seized 91 kg ganja being transported illegally.
During the investigation, police arrested Dilip Gouda of Badagauda village under Kabisuryanagar police limits in Ganjam district.
During interrogation, he was found to be the mastermind of an interstate ganja trafficking network.
Eight people were initially arrested, including five from Kandhamal, one from Rajasthan and one from Gujarat.
Investigators found that Rupesh allegedly managed Dilip’s financial operations, including bank accounts and vehicles used by the network.
Police said Rs 16 lakh has been frozen in bank accounts linked to the accused Dillip, Rupesh and others.
They have also seized and frozen land, houses, vehicles and jewellery valued at about Rs 4 crore.
Police added that the accused are also facing narcotics-related cases in Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.
