Despite the crackdown launched by police against illegal ganja smuggling and the huge seizures, the contraband traders are still active and devising new methods to hoodwink the cops in the undivided Koraput district.
In a glaring example, police seized around 1.204 Kg of ganja from a banana-laden truck near Mohanpada Chhak in the Sunabeda area of Koraput district on Friday night.Two inter-State smugglers were arrested in this connection and they were identified as Rajiv Kumar Mahato of Jharkhand and Raman Kumar of Bihar.As per reports, the Sunabeda police intercepted a banana-laden truck near Mohanpada Chhak during routine patrolling late at night.
Durin search, the cops recovered around 1,204 kg of ganja, neatly packed in several bags and concealed under the banana, from the truck. Subsequently, they seized the contraband and confiscated the vehicle.
The market value of seized ganja is expected to be more than Rs 1 crore, a senior police official said.
During investigation, the police found that the accused duo had procured the ganja from Jalaput area in Koraput district and planned to transport the contraband to Bihar.
The accused persons were booked under the NDPS Act and investigation was ongoing to find out the locals involvement, police said.