Ganja worth Rs 3.49L seized in Varachhafrom Ashok Nagar

Surat: The police seized ganja worth Rs 3.49 lakh from a house in the slums in Ashok Nagar of Varachha here on Thursday. However, no arrest was made since no one happened to be present when 58.19kg ganja was seized from room number 45 in the slums that remained unoccupied for the past few months.

"Ganja was found in three bags. It seems the contraband had been brought there recently. We are investigating as to who is behind this network that brings ganja here and for whom," police said.

Ashok Nagar and Utkal Nagar are slums that have come up along the railway tracks under the limits of Varachha and Katargam police stations. Those trading in the contraband have made these slums the hub for distribution of ganja in the city. The gang brings the contraband from another state in trains, which it dumps alongside the tracks to be picked up later and taken to the slums for distribution. Small parcels are made from huge bundles of ganja that had been brought for distribution. The ganja is mainly brought to the city from Odisha, police investigations in the past have revealed.

Congress councillor Dinesh Kachhadiya had recently exposed how the network operates on social media. He also described how the markets of ganja and liquor had come up in these areas. Kachhadiya had received threat calls from unidentified persons after his expose. tnn