3 from Maha among seven held with 160kg of ganja | Bhubaneswar News
Berhampur: Sleuths of the intelligence and enforcement bureau of the excise department, Berhampur division, on Tuesday arrested seven persons, including three from Maharashtra, for alleged illegal transport of ganja from Gajapati to Mumbai, near here.
Excise personnel seized three cars, one of them bearing a Maharashtra registration number, nine mobile phones, and around 160 kg of ganja from the accused. “The seized items, including the ganja, was estimated to be worth Rs 50 lakh,” said Srutikant Rout, deputy superintendent, intelligence and enforcement bureau.
The car with the Maharashtra registration number was well-chambered to conceal and transport the contraband, he said.
The accused were identified as Ajaya Jagan Berad (25), Amol Muralidhar Rahinj (26), Vishal Bhausaheb Rahinj (32), all from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, Sajan Nayak (30) of Ludra, Narayan Chandra Nayak (35) of Dengasargi, Pitara Nayak (28) of Ludru, and Tarun Nayak (21) of Liligada, he added.
Acting on a tip-off, the excise personnel conducted raids at Sinhala near here. They found the ganja bags being loaded from two cars into the car with the Maharashtra plate and caught them. “During interrogation, the accused confessed that the ganja was transported from Gajapati to Berhampur in two cars and then from Berhampur to Mumbai,” Rout said.
“We are verifying the involvement of the accused in earlier drug smuggling cases in Berhampur and Gajapati district,” he said. “Excise personnel are also investigating the involvement of other persons in drugs smuggling,” he added.
He said they had prior information about illegal transport of ganja from Gajapati district to other states using cars via Berhampur.
Excise personnel seized three cars, one of them bearing a Maharashtra registration number, nine mobile phones, and around 160 kg of ganja from the accused. “The seized items, including the ganja, was estimated to be worth Rs 50 lakh,” said Srutikant Rout, deputy superintendent, intelligence and enforcement bureau.
The car with the Maharashtra registration number was well-chambered to conceal and transport the contraband, he said.
The accused were identified as Ajaya Jagan Berad (25), Amol Muralidhar Rahinj (26), Vishal Bhausaheb Rahinj (32), all from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, Sajan Nayak (30) of Ludra, Narayan Chandra Nayak (35) of Dengasargi, Pitara Nayak (28) of Ludru, and Tarun Nayak (21) of Liligada, he added.
Acting on a tip-off, the excise personnel conducted raids at Sinhala near here. They found the ganja bags being loaded from two cars into the car with the Maharashtra plate and caught them. “During interrogation, the accused confessed that the ganja was transported from Gajapati to Berhampur in two cars and then from Berhampur to Mumbai,” Rout said.
“We are verifying the involvement of the accused in earlier drug smuggling cases in Berhampur and Gajapati district,” he said. “Excise personnel are also investigating the involvement of other persons in drugs smuggling,” he added.
He said they had prior information about illegal transport of ganja from Gajapati district to other states using cars via Berhampur.
