Bhubaneswar: A team of Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch Tuesday seized 1.8kgs of brown sugar worth Rs 1 crore from a place on the National Highway-16 under Tomando police limits on the outskirts of the Bhubaneswar. In this connection, two peddlers were arrested.
The accused have been identified as Ajay Mohapatra from Jankia police station area and Bibhuti Bhushan Jena from Begunia police station area in Khurda district. However, the kingpin of the racket identified as Bapi Mangaraj managed to give the sleuths a slip.
Acting on a tip-off, the team conducted a raid in Khandagiri area and arrested the drug peddlers when they were supplying the contraband to Khandagiri.
Sources said, the contraband was procured from West Bengal and it reached Bhubaneswar via Jaleswar area in Balasore district.
Efforts are on to nab Bapi Mangaraj and trace out other members of the racket, it was learnt.
PNN