The Delhi Police arrested a person for running an inter-State drug syndicate after an intensive manhunt in the dense and Naxal-affected forests of Gochhapada, in the Kandhamal district of Odisha on Wednesday, police said.
The Western Range-I (WR-I) of the Crime Branch, Delhi Police, has led the operation and dismantled a major interstate drug syndicate by arresting the prime supplier of contraband ganja from the remote, forested hills of Odisha.
The accused, identified as Bhagirathi Padhan (27), a resident of Kandhamal district in Odisha, is believed to be the key supplier for the syndicate that was earlier busted in March with the seizure of 120 kg of marijuana, he said.
“Padhan ran a well-established supply chain of contraband cannabis from dense, Naxal-affected forest areas of Phulbani (also called Kandhamal)
district, where he also oversaw illegal
cultivation,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said.
Acting on leads and technical surveillance, the team traced the accused to the jurisdiction of Gochhapada police station in Kandhamal, Odisha, he added.
A team lead by Inspector Sandeep Yadav, comprising of ASI Suresh, HC Sandeep, HC Dinesh and constable Vishal and under the supervision of Ajay Kumar, ACP/WR-I, Crime Branch, was constituted by undersigned to apprehend the ganja supplier.
“The region is known for its difficult terrain and Naxal activity, which made the operation extremely challenging. After sustained efforts and local coordination, Padhan was arrested from the forested area,” the DCP said.
The arrest is not Padhan’s first run-in with the law. He was previously arrested in 2017 in connection with a case under the NDPS Act (FIR No 18/17) at the same police station. According to police, Padhan started cultivating ganja in the secluded hills of Phulbani district as a means of earning fast money. Over the years, he built a distribution network that extended to several Indian states, making him a crucial figure in the nationwide illegal narcotics trade.
Padhan’s modus operandi involved cultivating ganja in remote forest areas, where surveillance is difficult and law enforcement presence is minimal. He would then supply the contraband through a network of carriers and middlemen, ensuring its distribution across regions like Delhi-NCR, where demand remains high.
His capture, officials say, marks a decisive blow to one of the major supply chains feeding the northern Indian drug markets. With Padhan in custody, the Delhi Police aims to track down the rest of the syndicate’s network, bringing more offenders to justice and ensuring a long-term disruption of ganja trafficking across the country. Investigations are ongoing.