Bhubaneswar fast turning into narcotics hub; here's why 

With the arrest of five drug peddlers from various localities under five police limits in Bhubaneswar city in 24 hours, the gravity of the situation that the capital city is fast turning into a hub of drugs has been laid bare. 

The Commissionerate Police swung into action after extortion and drug trade angles in P Subrat Rao alias Chandu murder case were established. Chandu was murdered at Unit VIII area in Bhubaneswar on September 9. 

The revelation in Chandu murder case served as a wake-up call to the police who, considering the festive season ahead, tightened their noose around drug mafia and arrested five drug mafia in 24 hours. Brown sugar worth Rs 5 lakh was seized from their possession. 

According to the information shared by the Commissionerate Police, as many as 22 brown sugar traders were arrested in 11 drug trade cases in the last 15 days under ‘operation white spider’. From them, brown sugar worth Rs 22 lakh was seized. 

During the same period, the police cracked eight cases relating to ganja trade and arrested 13 traders and seized a pistol and live bullets from one of them. 

In 2020, the Crime Branch launched an operation against the drug mafia, and it has so far seized drugs worth over Rs 60 crore.
 
It has been an open secret that brown sugar finds its way to Bhubaneswar from Jaleswar in Balasore, which shares border with West Bengal. The capital city is said to be fast transforming into a hub of drugs. 

It is now believed that police, excise and narcotics departments’ joint operation can only save the capital city from transforming into a drug hub.