Sonepur: In a crackdown on illegal narcotics trade, police in Odisha’s Sonepur district arrested five persons and seized over 150 kg of ganja during two separate raids on Thursday.
The operations targeted vehicles suspected of transporting contraband allegedly smuggled from Boudh district.
Acting on specific intelligence, police intercepted a private car with a Maharashtra number plate at a checkpoint. The vehicle was carrying two women, a child, and a driver. During questioning, the occupants provided inconsistent answers, prompting a thorough search. As many as 30 packets of ganja were allegedly found hid
den inside the suitcases.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver and the two women were not acquainted with each other, and the child traveling with them was not related to any of the adults. Efforts are underway to trace the child’s parents.
In a parallel operation on Sonepur–Birmaharajpur road at Baghalpur Chhak under Biramaharajpur police limits, a Tata Ace vehicle was flagged down. A total 130 packets of ganja concealed in a specially constructed hidden compartment beneath the vehicle’s deck, designed specifically to evade detection, were recovered during the subsequent searches.
Two persons were arrested in connection with this seizure.
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Both vehicles involved in the smuggling attempts have been impounded. The total haul from the two raids exceeded 1.5 quintals of ganja.
Sonepur police have initiated a detailed probe to identify the arrested individuals, trace the origin and intended destination of the consignment, and dismantle the larger inter-district smuggling network.