BERHAMPUR: Excise officials on Tuesday arrested seven ganja smugglers and seized around 160 kg of the contraband worth `50 lakh from their possession at Sihala village on the outskirts of Berhampur.
Acting on a tip off, an excise team led by DSP Srutikanta Rout reached the village and seized the ganja from three parked vehicles besides overpowering the seven accused. During interrogation, the accused revealed they were transporting the contraband from Gajapati to Mumbai via Berhampur.
The DSP said four of the seven accused - Sajan Nayak (30), Patara Nayak (28), Nayan Nayak (35) and Tarun Nayak - belong to Gajapati district while the other three - Ajay Jagan Berad (25), Vishal Bahusaheb Rahinj (32) and Amol Muralidhar Rahinj (26) are from Maharashtra.
“Apart from the ganja, the three cars and 10 mobile phones were also seized from the accused. They were produced in court and further investigation is underway to ascertain if others were involved,” he added.