Four Arrested Odisha With 24 Kg Ganja Near Bhadrak Railway Station
Three women and a man held outside Charampa Railway Station; police suspect inter-state narcotics network linked to Phulbani
Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Bhadrak Police on Saturday busted an alleged ganja (cannabis) smuggling racket and seized 24 kilograms of the contraband from outside Charampa Railway Station. Four persons—three women and a man—were arrested in connection with the case.
According to police sources, the accused were attempting to transport the contraband by train from Tihidi to Chennai when a special team of the Bhadrak Town Police intercepted them near the railway station, leading to their arrest and the seizure of the narcotics.
During the operation, police recovered 24 kg of ganja, four mobile phones, and Rs 2,000 in cash from the accused. Officials said the seized narcotics are worth several lakhs of rupees in the illegal market, though the exact value is yet to be assessed.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the ganja was sourced from Phulbani in Kandhamal district and was being transported to another state for illegal trade. Police suspect the accused were acting as carriers and were promised substantial payments for delivering the consignment.
Among the three women arrested, two are residents of Cuttack district, while the third hails from the Tihidi area of Bhadrak district. Police also confirmed that one of the key individuals involved in the smuggling operation has been apprehended. Efforts are underway to trace other members of the interstate network.
“Outside the railway station, three women were holding trolley bags and a man was accompanying them. On suspicion, we detained them and later discovered they were carrying a large quantity of prohibited ganja,” said Prabhansu Mishra, Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) of Bhadrak Town Police Station.
“We seized nearly 24 kg of ganja from them. They were planning to transport it to Chennai by train, and each woman was to be paid Rs 5,000 for carrying the consignment. The contraband was sourced from the Phulbani area. We are investigating who else is involved in this racket,” he added.
Police said further investigation is underway to identify the larger supply chain and interstate links of the smuggling network.
