BHUBANESWAR : Police on Monday detained a woman drug peddler after a raid at her rented accommodation in Bhadrak town led to the seizure of around Rs 25 lakh in cash, along with at least 50 grams of brown sugar.
The police carried out the raid after receiving information from reliable sources. The exact quantity of the seized drug will be determined after weighing it. The counting of the cash is still underway, and the total amount could exceed Rs 29 lakh, according to police sources.
As per the initial investigation, the woman and her husband were living separately due to a personal dispute. She was staying about three to four kilometers away from her husband's house. "Acting on a tip-off, a raid was conducted at the woman’s residence. A large amount of cash, along with the contraband, has been seized. A detailed investigation has been launched to uncover the drug racket," said Bhadrak SP Sandeep Madkar.
Police suspect the woman was possibly transferring the proceeds of the crime to the masterminds behind the drug trade. "Preliminary investigations suggest the accused is a middlewoman, and the contraband seized from her was likely intended for distribution in different areas of Bhadrak district," said Madkar.
The SP further stated that the case might provide police with crucial leads regarding the brown sugar trade in the district and warned that stringent action would be taken against the drug mafia.
Police have received clues suggesting that the brown sugar was likely procured from the neighboring Balasore district. Over the years, Balasore has become a major transit point for drug dealers and suppliers to transport brown sugar to various parts of Odisha after procuring it from West Bengal.
On Sunday, Excise department officials had seized more than 2 kg of brown sugar, worth Rs 2 crore, from Balasore town and arrested a drug peddler in connection with the seizure.