SAMBALPUR: Town police on Tuesday arrested four persons from near the Hanuman temple under Fatak overbridge and seized 51.5 gram of brown sugar from their possession.
The four accused are Sonu Sonkar (30), Siba Sa (28), Niraj Maharana (24) and Shibranjan Mahakud (23), all of Sambalpur town. Apart from the contraband, police also seized two mobile phones and `5,200 cash from their possession.
Police said acting on a tip-off about a group of youths dealing in brown sugar near the temple area, a police team conducted a raid at around 2 pm and caught the four accused red-handed with the contraband. Following the seizure, a case was registered under sections 21 (b) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Police are interrogating the accused to trace the source and supply chain of the seized brown sugar. The operation is part of an ongoing drive against drug peddling and substance abuse in Sambalpur, said a police officer.