Kataka: In a major joint operation, the Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police busted a high-profile inter-state cannabis smuggling racket at Kataka railway station on September 29 with the seizure of 115.93 kg of ganja valued at approximately ₹57.96 lakh.
Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the attempted smuggling. They have been identified as Sajid Ali Abdul Sakur Mariyar, Jitendra Ramesh Thakur, Tanveer Yakub Chagule and Ahmed Raza Siddiqui, all residents of Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Abhishek Kumar from Patna in Bihar.
Acting on specific intelligence about a contraband consignment being transported on Puri–Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Express (Train No. 22866), security personnel set up checks at the station and detained the five individuals carrying seven trolley bags and backpacks. A thorough search of the luggage revealed the high-grade cannabis carefully packed inside.
Preliminary questioning indicated that the group had travelled to Bhubaneswar, procured the drugs locally and boarded the train bound for Mumbai. However, one key local suspect identified as Pradeep from Cuttack managed to flee the train during the raid. “These inter-district and inter-state smugglers are high-profile operators who even travel by flight. Further investigation is underway to identify the local procurement network, map the distribution network in Mumbai, and apprehend the absconding accomplice,” SP, Railways, Vivekananda Sharma told the media.