Malkangiri: Acting on a tip-off, a police team conducted a sudden raid and nabbed eight ganja smugglers including the kingpin while they were smuggling ganja in two vehicles in Balimela area in Malkangiri district late Monday night.
The raid team also seized around 109 kg of contraband from two vehicles.
The eight accused have been identified as the kingpin Mobarak Khan, Krishan Kashayap, Sachin Salenku, Rajesh Patnaik, Bikash Munde, Sabir Bisoi, Kashinath Begal and Rahul Badu.
A case was registered and the eight have been forwarded to the court, Malkangiri SP Jagmohan Meena said before media persons at a press meet in his office.
According to police, the eight were notorious criminals and were involved in contraband smuggling and other illegal criminal activities. A special team led by SDPO Manas Ranjan Barik and DSP Dilip Das kept a track on their movements.
Acting on reliable information, the team carried a search operation in the districts and arrested the smugglers. While Malkangiri police apprehended seven peddlers, later Nabarangpur police arrested the Kingpin of the Gang Mobarak Khan from Umerkote area.
With this, Malkangiri police have so far seized 82 tons of contraband and registered 17 cases with the arrest of 180 persons.
This apart, 83 vehicles used for the crime have been seized and over 600 hectares of ganja plantation has been destroyed by the district police, informed Malkangiri SP Jagmohan Meena.
PNN