Ganja haul in South Odisha

RAYAGADA:  IN a crackdown on illegal ganja trade, police seized 1,709 kg of ganja from three districts of Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada in the last 24 hours.In Koraput district, Damanjodi police detained a truck near Marichha Mala Chowk under Damanjodi police limits and seized 10 quintals of ganja. One Niranjan Kumar Behera of Deogarh district has been arrested. 

In Rayagada district police busted an inter-state ganja smuggling racket and seized 504 kg of the contraband in two separate cases under Padampur and Chandili police limits in the district.
In one case, acting on a tip-off, Padampur police detained a water tanker near Pajilibandha Chowk and found 22 bags of ganja weighing 433 kg loaded in it. 

Police nabbed four persons transporting the contraband and seized the hemp besides a bike, four mobile phones and `23,000 cash from them.Padampur police station IIC Jayashree Pradhan said the hemp was being transported from Raipanga to Tamil Nadu. The hemp has been valued at `25 lakh. Those arrested are Kasi Murgan, Jangaralu Pangegi, P Perumal and Langi Majhi.

In an another case, Chandili police arrested two persons and seized 71 kg hemp.  The two, Sriram Rabindra and Simanchal Kutruka, were waiting for customers in the hilly area of Kasili village under K Malligaon gram panchayat when they were nabbed. All the accused were sent to judicial custody after their bail plea was rejected.

Sources om South-West Range, DIG, Himansu Lal office said four NDPS cases have been registered, five vehicles seized and 10 smugglers arrested in three districts of Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada.