Koraput: The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Sunday seized 35 kg ganja from tourists travelling back from Odisha’s Koraput.
“20 kg ganja was seized from two women, including a minor, travelling in Samaleswari Train during a joint raid by GRP and RPF. They hail from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Another search inside Visakhapatnam passenger led to the seizure of 15 kg ganja and arrest of a youth. Two separate cases will be registered,” said Officer-in-charge of Koraput GRP, Santoshi Mohanta.
A young man and a woman, who had travelled to Koraput from Uttar Pradesh, were earlier arrested for engaging in alleged peddling of ganja.
According to sources, at least 15 individuals have been apprehended in Koraput for their alleged involvement in the illegal ganja trade in the last 10 months with increasing use of tourists as couriers to transport the contraband. Women are being mostly tasked with the job to avoid suspicion. Six women have been arrested on the charges of ganja smuggling in 2024-25.
On March 25, 340 kg of ganja was seized in Boipariguda area of Koraput district and 8 persons, including notorious gang leader Ranjit Bagh (45) of Badakudi within Jeypore Sadar police limits and Rahul Kumar (32) of Bihar’s Bhojpur, were arrested. Four luxury cars, 10 cell phones, two country-made pistols and five live bullets were also seized from them.
