Bhubaneswar: Unaware of consequences, drug peddlers have turned many slums in the capital city into brown sugar trafficking dens. A few days after the excise department officials raided Haladipadia slum in Laxmisagar here and seized brown sugar worth over Rs 10 lakh, two persons were arrested from the area with the contraband and hard cash on Wednesday.
What is even more alarming is that one of them happens to be a 19-year-old youth and the other accused his mother, Tulasi.
Police have arrested both of them and seized brown sugar weighing around 14 grams worth Rs 5 lakh. This apart, police have recovered Rs 1 lakh hard cash from their possession.
Acting on a tip-off, the excise department officials raided the Haladipadia area and caught Tulasi and his son red-handed while they were trading the contraband item.
Speaking to media, Bhubaneswar DCP Anup Sahoo stated, “After a raid, the woman and her son were detained and they will be forwarded to court. A detailed investigation is on, we can ascertain the route and the racket behind drug smuggling after the probe.”
Meanwhile, following her arrest, the woman revealed that the trend of smuggling the contraband has changed now due to repeated raids and arrests of drug peddlers. According to Tulasi, dealers straightaway come to houses to supply brown sugar. While her son sells it in small packets, she reportedly trades it with known customers only.
The DCP further stated, “We have identified a few places from where we have been repeatedly receiving complaints. All those places will be raided.”
Despite stringent action by authorities, the contraband item still being sold all across the capital city has become a major concern now.