In-toeing the Tamil Nadu mode of cracking the whip on drug peddlers in the State, a joint team of Odisha Police and State excise today had a rich haul of treasure from a drug peddler's house when they raided his residence at Khallikote area in Ganjam district.
As per reports, Rs 75 lakh in cash and over 8 kg gold ornaments, whose value is estimated to be over some crores, were seized from the house of the peddler Rajani Kant Pattnaik of Kojapalli Badadanda Sahi under Khallikote police limits.
Apart from the cash and jewellery, the joint team has also recovered huge quantities of narcotics, including 34 kg of Ganja (Dry Cannabis) and over 10 kg of Opium.
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Senior officials said that the raid was conducted based on a specific intelligence input that Pattnaik was planning to transport Ganja in his two-wheeler.
Preliminary investigations reveal that Pattnaik used to procure the contraband from Kandhamal and used to supply the same to the people in the district and nearby areas.
Police have registered a case and booked the accused under sections 18(b), 20 (b) (ii),(c) of NDPS Act 1985. He will be interrogated further to ascertain the source of the contrabands procured and the source of income.
“A detailed economic offence probe will be carried out to establish the source of cash and gold ornaments seized from the house of the accused,” said a release by the police.
(Edited By Sanjeev Patro)