Cuttack: Commissionerate Police seized 1.12 kg of brown sugar worth Rs 1.10 crore and nabbed three persons for peddling drugs.
The arrested persons were identified as Gulsar alias Sk Gulsaruddin of Ohala village, Papu alias Soubhagya Ranjan Singh of Lala Sahi village, and Lipu Behera of Markandapur, all from Jagatsinghpur district.
Twin City Police Commissioner Soumendra Priyadarshi on Thursday said the peddlers were caught from a mango orchard near Tinigharia, area under Madhupatna police limits, in Cuttack on Wednesday evening.
Priyadarshi said a special squad of Cuttack Urban Police got a tip-off and rushed to the location to pick up the trio. A motor cycle, cash worth Rs 17,000 and four cellphones were seized from their possession.
He said the contraband was being procured from Balasore and added that the peddlers were supplying to places like Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Investigation is underway to find out if others are involved in the illegal trade and pin down the main suppliers. The probe is likely to throw light on their modus operandi and transit route, Priyadarshi added.
Cuttack Urban Police District have seized over 3 kg brown sugar (heroin) and arrested 24 professional drug peddlers in a special drive this year so far.
The Commissioner of Police said in the last couple of months DCP Prateek Singh and his team have seized large number of illegal arms and huge cache of brown sugar during raids.