Interstate dry narcotics syndicate busted; nearly 13 kg ganja seized at Raipur bus stand
Raipur
Police have busted an interstate “dry narcotics” syndicate and seized nearly 13 kg ganja from passengers travelling by bus, following an intensive checking drive at the New Bus Stand, Bhatagaon, under the Tikrapara police station limits.
The action was taken as part of a special campaign launched to curb illegal ganja trafficking, particularly through road and bus routes. During the operation, police teams conducted thorough checks of suspicious passengers and their luggage, leading to the seizure of a total of 12.938 kg ganja from two separate cases. Five accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
According to police, the total value of the seized contraband is estimated at around ₹6.5 lakh. Investigators have initiated “end-to-end” and financial investigations to trace the supply chain and proceeds of the illegal trade.
The drive was carried out on the instructions of Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sandeep Kumar Patel, who directed strict criminal action against those involved in ganja trafficking and intensified checking of passengers at the Bhatagaon bus terminal. Acting under the supervision of Additional DCP Rahul Dev Sharma, a police team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Navneet Patil (New Rajendra Nagar) conducted the operation with Tikrapara police personnel.
During checking at around 12 noon on February 9, police intercepted one woman and two male passengers on suspicion and searched their bags, including a school backpack. The search led to the recovery of 5.938 kg ganja, valued at approximately ₹3 lakh.
The accused were identified as Pinky Harijan (22), a resident of Kalahandi district, Odisha, currently residing in Siltara, Raipur; Kshitij Pratap Singh (22) of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh; and a juvenile in conflict with law from Jabalpur. During interrogation, their memorandum statements revealed the involvement of Ramkrishna Tiwari (29), a resident of Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh, currently staying in Raipur.
All four were booked under Crime No. 113/26 under Section 20(b) of the NDPS Act and produced before the court on judicial remand.
In a separate incident on the same day at around 5.15 pm, police stopped a male passenger carrying a navy blue trolley bag. Upon checking, 7 kg ganja worth about ₹3.5 lakh was recovered.
The accused was identified as Arun Jal (37), a resident of Sambalpur district, Odisha. He was arrested and booked under Crime No. 115/26 under Section 20(b) of the NDPS Act and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Police said the accused were using buses and road routes to transport ganja across states. Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the syndicate and establish forward and backward linkages in the network.
