Bhubaneswar: A Delhi‑bound truck carrying ganja worth nearly Rs 2.5 crore was seized in Bhubaneswar by the crime branch’s special task force (STF) on Friday. The agency arrested the truck driver, Prem Chandra (32) of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh.Acting on specific intelligence, an STF team intercepted the goods carrier near Pitapalli under Info Valley police station limits in Bhubaneswar. A search revealed about five quintals of ganja concealed beneath rice sacks.“The contraband was sourced from Gajapati district and loaded at Berhampur in Ganjam district for onward transportation to Delhi. This seizure is part of our sustained crackdown on interstate drug cartels operating through Odisha,” STF DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh said.The DIG said the probe will focus on identifying suppliers, transport facilitators, financiers and intended recipients of the consignment. “We are mapping both forward and backward linkages of the syndicate. Teams will travel to Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi to trace the financial trail, collect evidence and apprehend other members,” DIG Singh said.The accused will be produced before the jurisdictional magistrate on Saturday after completion of legal formalities. Officials indicated that custodial interrogation may be sought to aid the investigation and uncover deeper layers of the trafficking racket.“Dismantling the network requires interstate coordinated efforts. Our priority is to expose the larger conspiracy and neutralize the organized chain behind cannabis smuggling,” Singh said.
