Nitesh Kumar Sahoo

A special police team in Khordha raided the residence of a notorious brown sugar smuggler and seized property worth crores, on Thursday. 

The peddler identified as Somnath Bhujabala was in possession of assets that constitutes 1900% more than his known sources of income. The assets generated by Bhujbal are suspected to have been earned from the proceeds of his crime that include the trading of contraband. 

As per reports, the Khordha police’s action is part of the intensified action against smuggling and sell of drugs by organised syndicates. The special team seized property worth Rs 2.34 crore which includes a building worth Rs 1.10 crore, Rs 3.45 lakh in cash, gold ornaments worth Rs 13.50 lakh, 11 vehicles, and a shop worth Rs 24.50 lakh.

"The action against the operatives is not just limited to seizing the contraband and pack them to jail. Seizing the proceeds of the crime will be a major deterrent to their activities,” said Khordha SP, Raj Kishore Dora. 

He said movable and immovable assets worth around Rs 2,34,52,594 belonging to Bhujabala and his father has been confiscated.

Operation ‘White Spider' On

Brown Sugar Worth Rs 10 Lakh Seized In Bhubaneswar

Meanwhile, in another major achievement, the Bharatpur Police along with the Quick Action Team (QAT) have seized brown sugar worth Rs 10 lakh from Bharatpur slums in Bhubaneswar outskirts. 

2 persons have been arrested in connection with the case.

"Following a tip-off from Basti Mitra volunteers about brown sugar peddling, a sudden raid was carried out by a special team of police and QAT at a slum under Bharatpur Police limits. 2 persons identified as Pradeep and Saroj were arrested during the joint operation. Around 100 gm of brown sugar was seized from their possession along with a two-wheeler," said Umashankar Dash, Deputy Commissioner of Police( DCP), Bhubaneswar.

50 Gram Of Brown Sugar Seized In Khordha

In a similar crackdown, the Khordha Town police seized around 50 gram of brown sugar worth around Rs 5 lakh from a house in BDA colony. Police carried out a raid on the house while the trading of the banned substances was on. 

As many as 3 persons were rounded up on the spot while Rs 1 lakh in cash, 5 two-wheelers and 3 mobile phones belonging to them have been seized.  

It is worth mentioning here that the Odisha police had initiated a special drive, code named, ‘White Spider’ from August 15 this year to put an end to the smuggling and trading of banned substances and other contraband. 

Dash said under the special drive, police have seized 3.5kg of brown sugar from different areas so far. The Commissionerate police will soon form a Central Team to monitor the movements of peddlers and all others involved in the smuggling and trading of brown sugar. The move will tighten the noose around the operatives and track down the entire network, he said. 

“Moreover, the team will keep records of NDPS cases as well as the accused. The team will also keep a vigil on the accused even after they are released from jail," informed Dash.

scrollToTop