Bhubaneswar: Excise department sleuths Monday arrested two drug peddlers and seized 70 gram brown sugar worth over Rs 7 lakh from Kolathia and Baramunda Chowk under Khandagiri police limits here.
The arrested were identified as Tukuna Das and Prakash Pradhan.
Following a tip-off, a joint team of Excise department of Bhubaneswar and the flying squad at Cuttack raided the Baramunda and Kolathia areas before arresting the culprits. The seized brown sugar was valued at around Rs 7 lakh. One Suzuki Gixer (OD 02-AH 4588) and an auto-rickshaw (OD 02 R 1896) were also seized by the sleuths.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anup Sahu said that some auto-rickshaw drivers and small shops are being used as retail counters for the sale of the psychotropic drugs in the city. He also said that this is a major challenge before the Commissionerate Police. The police are working hard to curtail the smuggling of drugs.
PNN