Interstate Cannabis Smuggling Ring Busted: Key Arrests

An extensive investigation by Madhya Pradesh Police has led to the dismantling of a major interstate cannabis smuggling ring, resulting in multiple arrests and significant seizures.

Photograph: Reuters

Key Points

MP Police SIT busted an interstate cannabis smuggling ring spanning multiple states.
Six individuals were arrested across Odisha, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
The investigation involved travelling approximately 25,000 km to apprehend the accused.
Police seized approximately 21 kg of ganja, vehicles, and mobile phones.
The main kingpin of the cannabis smuggling network remains at large, with an arrest expected soon.

A Special Investigation Team of MP Police on the trail of cannabis smugglers travelled approximately 25,000 km across three states to unearth a syndicate and arrested six individuals from Odisha, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Monday.

Police seized approximately 21 kg of ganja, one motorcycle, a pickup vehicle, and 10 mobile phones.

Breakthrough in Cannabis Smuggling Case

Police zeroed in on the network after interrogating three suspects who were nabbed with ganja on April 5.

"Finding their interstate connection during interrogation, police formed an SIT," Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bindusar Singh told reporters.

Extent of the Smuggling Network

The smuggling syndicate spans Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, he said, adding that nine individuals have been arrested so far.

The SIT teams travelled approximately 25,000 kms to apprehend the six accused from Balaghat, Odisha, and Udaipur in Rajasthan, the DSP said.

Accused Identified

The six accused are identified as Raj alias Ashutosh Pardhi (38) from Balaghat, Vijay alias Vijaya (30), Kailash Chandra Khamari (38), Bulla alias Virabhadra (25), Jagga alias Jagdish (38) from Odisha, and Tejshankar Patidar (37) from Udaipur, Singh said.

The main kingpin of the network remains at large, though police officials stated that an arrest is expected soon.

Ongoing Investigation

The DSP said that officials are currently interrogating the accused to know whether more people were connected to their network and trace assets linked to the smuggling operations.

Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, those arrested could face significant jail time and fines depending on the quantity of drugs involved. The investigation will likely focus on tracing the source of the cannabis and identifying other members of the network. Madhya Pradesh has been actively working to curb drug trafficking in recent years.

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