Sonepur: Odisha Crime Branch has intensified its probe into the alleged involvement of Sonepur Town Police Station inspector-in-charge (IIC) Srikant Tripathy.
The nexus between police and ganja smugglers came to the fore after Right to Information (RTI) activist Srikumar Mahanta lodged a complaint with senior police officers alleging that one Ujir Khan was made a regular witness in 90 percent of the cases registered under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) by Tarabha police.
As one of the police witnesses has been arrested in ganja smuggling, it has become clear that Tripathy is involved in the illegal activity.
The data obtained through RTI highlighted that a total of 48 NDPS cases were registered by Tarabha police during the period 2014 and 2017 during Tripathy’s term as IIC.
However, Ujir Khan and some of his associates were arrested on charges of smuggling by Chhattisgarh police in April last year.
Meanwhile, Crime Branch SP, Radha Binod Panigrahi visited both Sonepur and Tarbha police stations to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
