Puri: Excise department sleuths seized a huge cache of illegal cannabis from the Pipili area in Puri district Wednesday and arrested a smuggler from the spot in connection with the case.
The accused has been identified as Santosh Mohanty, a resident of Matha Sahi in Puri, the department said.
According to a source in the department, a team of officials conducted a raid in the Pipili area after receiving reliable inputs about the presence of the smuggler following which the contraband was seized and accused was arrested.
A detailed investigation is underway.
That said, it may be mentioned here that locals here are unhappy with the excise department and accuse them of willful negligence that leads to illegal cannabis reaching new customers – most of whom are young.
Consumption of cannabis, liquor, and other intoxicants ultimately lead to destabilizing social harmony and turn the crime graph upwards, many of them argue.
PNN
