Puri: Police have arrested four-member smuggling gang and seized brown sugar worth more than Rs 36 lakh from their possession in the town.
Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh told the media that a joint team of the personnel of Baseli Sahi police station in the town and STF conducted a raid on Matitota ground in the town following reliable information that the gang members including the kingpin Feroze Khan had gathered there to sell brown sugar late Monday night.
During the raid, the joint team arrested Khan of Durga Bazaar in Cuttack, Pappu Pandey of Pipili, Iftekar Tulla of Jaleswar and Ranjan Bhujabal of Tirmal in Jatni in Khurda district.
The police seized brown sugar weighing around 360 gram whose market value is estimated to be more than Rs 36 lakh. Besides, 3 motorcycles, 5 mobiles and Rs 17,000 in cash were seized from their possession.
All the four members of the gang were coming to Puri to sell the contraband, the SP said adding that with this, 1.3 kg brown sugar has been seized and 25 peddlers have been arrested in the district so far.
Stating that police have formed a Whatsapp group for the people of Puri to inform about sale and use of drugs in the district, he said the names and identity of the informants will be kept secret.
