ROURKELA: Rourkela police on Saturday busted a drug trafficking network by arresting eight persons, including six women, on charges of peddling drugs and seizing heroin worth over Rs 1 crore.
The arrests and seizures followed an early morning crackdown on Saturday at the Meenapada slum in Nala Road under the Plant Site police limits in Rourkela city. The accused are Rosan Khatoon (55), Farida Khatoon (50) and her son Md Imran Alam (28), Nuresha Khatoon (55) and her son Md Alam (24), Rahima Khatoon (58), Manisha Khatoon (25), and Nuresha Khatoon (59).
The seized items included 220 grams of heroin packed in seven zip-lock polythene pouches, Rs 2.70 lakh in cash, and three mobile phones. Police said both Md Imran and Md Alam have previous criminal records related to drug trafficking, while the criminal antecedents of the arrested women are being verified.
Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said that under the ongoing ‘Nasha Mukta Odisha’ drive, the Plant Site police conducted a raid at Meenapada and busted an active brown sugar trafficking network.
Police said that the contraband was seized from four slum households in Meenapada. Wadhwani said any property acquired through the illegal trade would be confiscated following due legal procedure. He further stated that the houses were built illegally on land belonging to the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) and that both the Sundargarh district administration and RSP had been informed for further action.
The SP said further investigation is underway to identify the wider supply chain and other persons involved in the illegal trade.