Rayagada: Six ganja smugglers were arrested and nearly seven quintals of cannabis seized from them during a special operation by the police in Odisha’s Rayagada district on Saturday.
Sources said the arrest was made after a team from Rayagada Town police station intercepted a van near an eatery and conducted a thorough search of the vehicle.
Apart from the ganja which was being illegally transported, a crude rifle, two cartridges and a magazine were seized from the vehicle and six persons arrested. The ganja weighing around 700 kg and valued at nearly Rs 70 lakh was neatly packed in sacks.
The arrested persons told the police during interrogation that the ganja, procured from a remote area of Chandrapur, was being smuggled to Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
The six accused persons belong to different places of Rayagada and Koraput districts. Further investigation is in progress.