From Odisha forests to Goa, Maharashtra police bust weed network; 5 arrested
Police in Maharashtra have busted an interstate weed smuggling syndicate and traced the network from cultivators in Naxal-affected forest areas of Odisha to bulk receivers
Police in Maharashtra have busted an interstate weed smuggling syndicate and traced the network from cultivators in Naxal-affected forest areas of Odisha to bulk receivers in Goa, officials said on Tuesday. Five key operatives have been arrested and weed valued at Rs 4.5 lakh has been seized, the Kalyan Government Railway Police said. The probe began on June 1 after the GRP arrested two transit carriers, Nikkikumar Hardev Shah, 19, and Kuldeep Raju Mahto Mandal, 26, both from Bihar, at Kalyan Railway Station. Police said 21.95 kg of weed was seized from them, and subsequent investigation showed the consignment had come from Odisha and was meant for retail distribution in Goa through Maharashtra.
Read Full Story Police said the interrogation of the two accused, along with the analysis of call detail records, mobile locations and financial transactions, helped trace the route of the contraband. A probe team then carried out raids in Madgaon in South Goa between July 18 and 22 and arrested Ashrof Sunar Khan, 21, who was the intended recipient of the consignment, Kalyan GRP Senior Police Inspector Archana Dusane said in a release. After interrogating Khan, the team conducted searches in Odisha's Kandhamal district between July 24 and 31 and arrested Vidyadhar Laxmidhar Nayak, 43, who acted as the primary supplier, the release said.
Nayak identified Srikant Mander Pradhan, 38, as the source who grew cannabis deep inside dense, Naxal-affected forest areas. Police later arrested Pradhan from Daringbadi in Kandhamal despite what the official described as operational hazards and terrain challenges. "This was an intricate, multi-state operation where our team successfully traced the entire chain – from the receiver down to the primary cultivator operating -- in extremely tough conditions. By coordinating closely with local police in Goa and Odisha, we managed to neutralise a major interstate corridor for illicit narcotics," Dusane said.
Officials said further investigation is under way to identify financial backers, additional associates and money laundering channels linked to the network, as the case has now led police from the transit carriers in Maharashtra to the alleged receiver in Goa and the supplier and cultivator in Odisha. Ends
The BriefWire