Rourkela: Odisha Police has seized over 500 kg of ganja worth Rs 80 lakh and arrested six persons for their alleged involvement in the illegal trade, officials said Tuesday.
The seizure follows continuous police vigilance against illegal transportation of ganja from Kandhamal and Boudh through Rourkela to Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, police said.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said, “It is a huge success in our drive against drugs and ganja in the city. We have arrested six persons in this connection.”
During patrolling late Monday, police received information about ganja being transported through Rourkela. Five vehicles were intercepted near Phatapipe on Bondamunda road, and 502 kg of ganja, packed into 20 sacks, was seized, he said.
The arrested have been identified as Gunanidhi Ghusi (36), Sukhanth Oram (37), Rahul Kumar Sahu (25), Nikhil Ray (23), Kaushik Kumar Padhee (31) and Niraj Sonkar (24).
“Out of the six arrested, four are locals, and two are from outside the state. We are suspecting that gangs of other states are also involved in the illegal trade,” the SP said.