Berhampur: Excise sleuths have seized 240kg of ganja after conducting raids at various parts of this town late Saturday night.
Six persons have been arrested in this connection and four vehicles and a twowheeler have also been seized from them, officials said. Following the arrest, all the accused were forwarded to court and a case (No- 918/23-24) has been filed against them, Excise department IIC, Gobardhan Rana informed Sunday.
The arrested peddlers have been identified as Jibijya Nayak, 32 and Bulu Lima, 26, residents of Chandiput village in Gajapati district, Saroj Kumar Sahu, 25, resident of Luhagudi, Sonu Sabar, 23, resident of Naranpur village under Adaba police limits, Shekhar Mohanty of Kabisuryanagar Nua Kharida area and K Sudhakar, 29, a resident of Uttar Pradesh.
According to sources, police got a tip-off that peddlers were smuggling ganja from Gajapati district through this district. Excise officials then conducted raids at different places close to the Haladiapadar Chowk. They seized the contraband and the vehicles used for its smuggling.
During interrogation the accused peddlers confessed before police that they had procured the ganja from Gajapati district and it was being sent to Uttar Pradesh, cops said. Excise IIC, Gobardhan Rana, ASI Ajit Kumar Nayak, ASI Braja Bihari Nayak were part of the team which conducted the raid.
PNN