BERHAMPUR: The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch seized five cars from two siblings from Kandhamal district who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the ganja trade.
Bikas Digal (27) and Soumya Ranjan Digal (25) who belong to Keredi village are reported to have links with the Maoists.
The agency with the assistance of Kandhamal Police arrested Soumya from Tikabali on Sunday. The agency had arrested Bikas on April 11 from Bhubaneswar and seized 52 kg ganja along with a car from him. Soumya was with Bikas but had managed to give STF a slip.
STF said though the quantity of the ganja seized from the accused is not significant, it is suspected the siblings are part of a bigger racket and have been in the illegal trade since the last three years. The duo mainly procured ganja from Naxal-hit Kandhamal and Boudh districts and the agency is investigating whether they have any links with the red ultras.
“A thorough probe will be carried out to ascertain whether the accused have any links with Naxals or their sympathizers in Kandhamal-Boudh districts. Special focus is being given on the aspect as in the past Naxals who surrendered before the police had revealed the shady nexus between left-wing extremists and ganja traders,” said STF IG, Jai Narayan Pankaj.
Bikash and Soumya are Class-X and Class-IX dropouts respectively and their father makes a living by driving an auto-rickshaw in the capital city. Bikas and Soumya have been staying with their family at Sion Shramik Basti in Chandrasekharpur area for the last several years. They reportedly have no income but five cars - Tata Safari, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Hyundai Santro, Hyundai Eon and two motorcycles were seized from them. “All the vehicles are registered in their names,” said STF SP, Kishore Kumar Panigrahi.
STF will request regional transport offices (RTOs) in Bhubaneswar and Kandhamal to ascertain whether the accused possess any other vehicle.
Initial investigation revealed Soumya and Bikas carried ganja consignments in their cars and carried women and children with them to avoid suspicion.
“The market value of the seized vehicles is more than `50 lakh. As per NDPS Act, immovable and movable property accumulated by the accused in the last six years through crime proceeds will be seized and we will move the competent authority in Kolkata for forfeiture of the same,” said Panigrahi.