Odisha Crime Branch Busts Brown Sugar Racket, 5 Arrested

Bhubaneswar: A Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch busted a brown sugar racket in Odisha and arrested five persons, including the kingpin, in this connection.

The DIG (Crime Branch), Jai Narayan Pankaj, told the media on Monday that the STF had arrested one Sk Sagba alias Roy (22) during a raid near Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. The STF had also Tanmaya Kumar Sahu (20) at Gopalgoan in Balasore town. Brown sugar worth more than Rs 50 lakh from their possession.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they procured the seized drug from one Sheikh Fakir and his two assiciates at Galalpola in Balasore.

The STF investigation revealed that Fakir is a habitual drug peddler. He had directed Mohammad Suhail of Arada Bazar in Sahadebkhunta and Sheikh Haibul of Galapola in Balasore to deliver brown sugar to different persons.

Subsequently, the STF conducted raids in Balasore town and arrested Fakir, Sohail and Haibul. The STF also seized one Maruti car, four bikes, Rs 1.84 lakh in cash, debit cards and other incriminating materials from their possession.

Pankaj said the five accused will be forwarded to the court of District & Sessions Judge, Bhubaneswar later in the day.

The STF DIG also informed that the accused used to procure brown sugar from Balasore and Midnapore, Murshidabad and Kolkata and sell in the locality to the youths. “As we have the information that the brown sugar is supplied from Bangladesh, we will bring the five accused on remand for interrogation. Besides, an investigation will be made to ascertain the link of Fakir and his gang members with the drug mafia Sheikh Raja and the international link of the five accused,” he pointed out.