Bhubaneswar: The special crime unit (SCU) of Twin City police on Monday busted a major drug trafficking racket by arresting 29-year-old Sheikh Akbar near Lingaraj railway station in Bhubaneswar with 400 grams of brown sugar worth approximately Rs 40 lakh.
A native of Balasore district, he had allegedly sourced narcotics from Lalgola in West Bengal, and was nabbed while waiting to deliver the consignment to another trafficker.
Addressing a presser, Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh said that raids have been intensified to nab the syndicate’s alleged mastermind and Akbar’s associate, 30-year-old Sheikh Sadiq Mohammed. “Akbar was an intermediary drug supplier. We are trying to identify other members of the gang and dismantle the supply chain,” Singh said.
The CP, however, called his arrest a major blow to the drug supply chain, which catered to students, tourists and businessmen in twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Police sources further stated that vital leads on Akbar’s activities had emerged during recent raids on betel shops near educational institutions, suspected of selling narcotics.
Between 2020 and 2024, Bhubaneswar Police have seized 13 kg of brown sugar worth Rs 13 crore and arrested 586 individuals in drug-related cases. Surveillance has been stepped up, especially in vulnerable areas like Salia Sahi and Haladipadia slums. Authorities are also collaborating with residents and running awareness drives.
