Jaleswar: The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch Thursday arrested a man from Jaleswar area of Balasore district after the sleuths seized brown sugar weighing 800 grams from his possession.
The identity of the accused man is yet to be ascertained.
According to STF officials, acting on a tip-off, they conducted a raid at a Jaleswar locality in the district following which the contraband was seized from the possession of the man.
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The estimated value of the seized brown sugar is Rs 80 lakh, cops said.
The STF officials also seized a vehicle, three mobile phones, 12 ATM cards, and some cash from the possession of the accused.
While a case has been registered against the accused, a probe into the same is underway, cops added. It is being suspected that the man had been smuggling brown sugars to West Bengal from Balasore district, a source said.
It may be mentioned here that brown sugar trade is on a rise in the state. Earlier, August 18, an MBA student was arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch for smuggling brown sugar worth over Rs 1 crore from Balasore district to West Bengal.
PNN