KORAPUT: A police sub-inspector along with 26 others has been arrested for involvement in ganja smuggling in Koraput district. About 1,673 kg of ganja has also been seized. Koraput SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo said on Thursday, 10 vehicles that were used to transport the ganja, 13 ATM cards and 29 mobile phones have also been seized from them.
Those arrested include suppliers, buyers, middlemen and transporters besides, some criminals who had earlier been convicted in ganja smuggling cases. The ganja was being smuggled to other areas from Koraput and Malkangiri districts.
During investigation, Sunabeda police came across involvement of a sub-inspector of Pottangi police station Golek Patnaik in the illegal trade. He was also arrested and forwarded to court on Thursday. The SP informed that in comparison to 2018-19, cases of ganja smuggling have increased in 2019-2020.
In the past 10 months, 203 smugglers have been arrested and over 25,000 kg ganja seized from their possession. Besides, over 18 lakh ganja plants worth Rs 19 crore destroyed on 550 acres of land within the same period. Ganja is smuggled from Koraput and Malkangiri to many states in North and South India via Raipur, Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam, Bhamoo added.