Chhattisgarh Police on Sunday seized 120 cartons of cigarettes, valued at Rs 72 lakhs, and arrested two persons in Mahasamund district for illegally transporting them to the state capital from Odisha.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Mahasamund Superintendent of Police Prafull Kumar Thakur said the arrested men were driver Alok Pradhan (28) and his cleaner-assistant Jaydev Shivchandan, both from Odisha.
The action followed a tip that the contraband was being transported to Raipur via the Mahasamund National Highway NH-53, Thakur said.
The police intercepted a truck (OD-02, AY-8394) at a check-post near Temri village in the Komkhan police station limits, he added.
The men admitted they were taking the contraband to Raipur.
The cigarettes were packed inside 60 gunny bags in 120 cartons and concealed in empty vegetable containers. A mobile phone and the truck were seized.