Bhubaneswar: Excise officials seized more than 4 quintal of ganja while being smuggled in a van in Odisha’s Khurda district on Monday.
According to sources, the Excise department had received reliable information about transportation of a huge amount of ganja through Nirakarpur. On the basis of the information, a team of Excise officials of Tangi were on guard at Nirakarpur railway level crossing since 6 am.
As the van crossed the level crossing, they swooped on it and detained the vehicle. On checking the van, they found ganja stacked in polythene sacks and seized it.
The seized ganja weighed 4 quintal and 1600 gram and its cost was estimated to be around Rs 45 lakh. The Excise officials have also arrested the van driver, identified as Purnachandra Dey of Puri, and seized a mobile phone from his possession.
The sources said the van was carrying the contraband from Seragad in Ganja district to Brahmagiri in Puri district through Norakarpur. Investigation was on to ascertain others involved in ganja smuggling, they added.
