Bhubaneswar: Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of R Udayagiri in Gajapati district, Rakesh Kumar Sahu, will be honoured with the DGP Disc for his exemplary leadership in cracking down on narcotics smuggling.
Director-General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania announced the award on Monday.
Sahu, a 2023-batch IPS officer, has spearheaded aggressive anti-narcotics operations in the region, resulting in the seizure of a record 17,249 kg of ganja within the jurisdiction of two police stations — 11,491 kg from Adava and 5,758 kg from R Udayagiri. The contraband, seized over the past four months, has an estimated market value exceeding Rs 17 crore.
DGP Khurania described the achievement as the highest-ever narcotics seizure in Gajapati district’s history. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he praised the “exemplary policing” and strong commitment to the Nisha-mukta Odisha (Drug-Free Odisha) initiative.
Police officials noted that traffickers had concealed large quantities of ganja in hilltop hideouts and underground dumps in remote forested areas, intending to transport the consignment to other states or regions at a convenient time. Recent operations continued this momentum: on Sunday, a team led by Sahu seized an additional 413 kg of ganja from the Manikpur and Dalimbapur areas, valued at around Rs 40 lakh.
The SDPO affirmed that efforts to disrupt the illegal narcotics trade in the area would continue without let-up.
