JEYPORE: Police on Tuesday arrested eight persons in connection with ganja smuggling and seized 340 kg of the contraband from them in Boipariguda area of Koraput district.
The accused include notorious gang leader Ranjit Bagh (45) of Badakudi within Jeypore Sadar police limits and Rahul Kumar (32) of Bihar’s Bhojpur. Apart from the ganja, four luxury cars, 10 cell phones, two country-made pistols and five live bullets were also seized from them.
Koraput SP Rohit Verma said a police patrolling team tried to stop four luxury vehicles which were coming at a high speed from Boipariguda on Monday evening. However, the cars didn’t stop and sped away after firing at the police. After a chase, the cops managed to intercept the cars and arrested the accused near Jeypore.
“The eight accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway,” he added.
Police sources said Ranjit has 22 cases, mostly under NDPS Act, pending against him in different police stations across the country. His brother Kartik Bagh is also involved in at least 20 criminal cases.