Busting an inter-State ganja smuggling racket, the Jeypore Sadar police on Friday seized a huge cache of cannabis worth Rs 9 lakh and arrested three youths of from Uttar Pradesh near the Patraput bridge in this connection.
Acting on a tipoff about the contraband being smuggled to UP from Lamtaput via Jeypore town, a police team led by Jeypore police station OIC A Mahakur and SI NK Toppo intercepted an SUV bearing registration number UP13 AH 1881 near the bridge.The cops searched the vehicle and recovered 81.700 kg of ganja from it and arrested the youths, Pushpraj Gaudh (26), Shiv Shankar Patel (32) and Anil Kumar Patel (32).
The cops also seized the SUV and cash of Rs 17,030 cash from their possession. A case was registered at the Jeypore Sadar PS under Sections 20 (b)(ii) and (C) of the NDPS Act in this connection. The Koraput district police have been taking stringent action to curb illegal ganja trafficking and the efforts would continue, said an official release.