Berhampur: Four suspected drug peddlers, including two Bangladeshi nationals, were arrested in Odisha’s Ganjam district Wednesday for allegedly possessing 43 kg of cannabis worth around Rs 4 lakh, an official said.
Excise personnel nabbed two suspects who were waiting for a bus at the Jagannathpur area near Berhampur in the afternoon and seized around 20 kg of narcotics from their possession, the official said.
The duo were identified as Siddik Matubber, 67, and Rikatali Mollah, 48, residents of Bangladesh’s Faridpur district, excise deputy commissioner A K Satapathy said.
A passport and a visa, which was going to expire on July 30, were seized from Matubber, while Mollah had no valid documents, Satapathy said.
The officer suspected that the Bangladeshi nationals might be coming to the area with brown sugar from their country and leaving with cannabis.
“We are now investigating the import of brown sugar and export of cannabis from the area to the neighbouring country,” he said.
In another case, 8 kg cannabis was seized from Rama Chandra Gouda, 26, at Lanjipalli area in Berhampur.
Around 14 kg of cannabis was seized from Arub Sabar, 28, at Jagannathpur during patrolling, the official added.
PTI