Bhubaneswar: The special task Force of crime branch on Saturday nabbed a kingpin in the interstate ganja smuggling racket, Ratan Mandal, from Purba Medinipur in West Bengal.STF sleuths said Mandal was a major receiver of ganja sourced from the Kandhamal–Boudh–Subarnapur (Sonepur) axis and is believed to have been involved in multiple interstate narcotics transactions.“After an intensive 25-day manhunt in West Bengal, the accused fell into the STF net. The accused had been absconding since Jan last year. The case relates to the seizure of 101 kg of commercial quantity ganja from a vehicle intercepted near Lata Bhuasuni Temple on Pitapalli–Chandakara Road here,” said DIG (STF) K V Singh.Earlier, three persons had been arrested and charge-sheeted, while investigation continued to trace the remaining members of the interstate syndicate.“During investigation, technical and other related evidence were collected, which established Mandal’s involvement in the interstate narcotics trafficking. His involvement in other NDPS cases is also under verification,” Singh added.STF officials said acting on tip-off, an STF team, with assistance of Marishda police in West Bengal, apprehended the accused. He has been produced before a court in West Bengal and is on transit remand for producing him before the special NDPS court here.The case had been registered against Mandal under sections 20 (b) (ii) (C), 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985.Further investigation is underway to apprehend the remaining absconding accused, identify the interstate network and trace the forward and backward linkages of the drug trafficking syndicate, STF sleuths said.They said Mandal’s arrest marks another significant success in the STF’s sustained campaign against organised interstate drug trafficking and demonstrates Odisha police’s commitment to dismantle narcotics supply chains operating across state boundaries.The operation comes immediately after the successful completion of the special drug destruction drive conducted from June 26 to July 10 during which police destroyed a record quantity of seized narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in accordance with the provisions of the NDPS Act.
