JASHPUR Police seized 632.380 kg of ganja, valued at around Rs 3.16 crore, from a Tata Eicher truck at the Lavakera check barrier on Sunday and arrested a 42- year-old man in connection with the alleged smuggling operation. The action was carried out by a joint team of the Anti-Narcotics Unit and Tapkara Police Station during vehicle checks targeting suspicious vehicles entering Jashpur from the Odisha border. At around 10 am, the team intercepted a Tata Eicher truck bearing registration number UP47-AT-9839, which was coming from Odisha. Police said the smugglers had attempted to conceal the contraband by placing sacks filled with empty glass bottles on top of the cargo. During a search in the presence of witnesses, police found 597 packets of ganja packed in 20 sacks beneath the bottles. The total weight was recorded at 632.380 kg.

 

The suspect, identified as Vinod Kumar Gupta, 42, of Beria Khalilpur village under Dehat Kotwali police station in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, allegedly failed to produce any documents authorising possession or transportation of the narcotic substance. During questioning, he reportedly told police that he was transporting the ganja from Odisha to Uttar Pradesh. Police seized the ganja, the truck valued at around Rs 25 lakh, two mobile phones worth approximately Rs 25,000 and Rs 3,000 in cash. The total value of the seized items was estimated at Rs 3.41 crore. A case has been registered at Tapkara Police Station under Crime No. 87/2026 and Section 20(b)(ii)(c) of the NDPS Act. Police are investigating the source of the ganja, its intended recipient in Uttar Pradesh and other persons allegedly involved in the network. The seizure comes two days after Jashpur Police recovered another 440.630 kg of ganja from a Tata Eicher minitruck at the same Lavakera checkpoint and arrested two alleged smugglers.