The Mumbai unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 500 kg of ganja from a truck on Outer Ring Road under the limits of Hudkeshwar police station during the early hours of Sunday. Three persons were arrested in this connection. The arrested accused have been identified as R P Goldar and A Sarkar, both residents of West Bengal, and S A S Yusuf alias Rajabhai, a Nagpur-based alleged receiver. According to the NCB, Goldar and Sarkar were travelling in the truck. Their questioning at the spot led investigators to Yusuf, who has allegedly been active in the drug peddling network for the past four years.

 

He also has several cases registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. “Acting on specific intelligence about an interstate network transporting narcotics from Odisha into Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, our team laid a trap in Nagpur during the early hours of Sunday,” the official said. The team intercepted a commercial truck registered in West Bengal and searched it. The ganja was found concealed beneath steel pipes. The consignment had reportedly been loaded in Sambalpur, Odisha. It was allegedly meant to be delivered to Yusuf in Nagpur. From here, drugs were to be sent to Jalna in Maharashtra and Indore in Madhya Pradesh for further distribution.

 

The accused allegedly avoided regular highway routes to escape detection. They frequently changed their routes while transporting the contraband, the official said. The NCB said the action is part of its intensified crackdown on interstate narcotics networks in eastern Maharashtra. The agency has seized large quantities of ganja in the region in recent months. It seized 209.8 kg in Nagpur on April 11, 702 kg in Gondia on May 22 and 245 kg in Bhandara on June 30. The investigation is underway.