Two Transgenders were rounded up by a joint team of the Odisha Crime Branch and Railway Protection Force (RPF) on the charges of possessing around 16 kilograms of Ganja (Dry Cannabis).
As per reports, the two transgenders were allegedly lured by a youth from Kandhamal to transport the Ganja from Odisha to Surat.
One of the accused said that they were induced with a promise of Rs 16,000 by the youth for the job.
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“I gave in to the temptation and agreed to carry the contraband to a person in Gujarat. The consignment (of Ganja) was procured by someone a month back and the person from Kandhamal asked me to hand it over to a person in Surat,” said one of the accused.
Sources said that as the livelihood of transgenders has been affected due to Covid lockdown, they are suspected to have been resorting to such unlawful activities to make ends meet.
Both the accused were arrested from Bhubaneswar railway station on Tuesday.
Kali Sethi, Inspector-in-charge of Bhubaneswar Railway Protection Force (RPF) said that the accused were nabbed based on intelligence inputs about contraband smuggling.
“We had information that the two transgenders from Beguniapada in Ganjam district were planning to go to Surat in Gandhidham Express with the contraband consignment,” said Sethi.
Sethi further informed that a search operation was subsequently launched and the two accused were intercepted at the platform. During searches, 16 kilograms of Ganja, market value of which is said to be around Rs 1.5 lakh, was recovered from their baggage.
“Due to stringent enforcement activities by the East Coast Railway to check harassment of passengers by transgenders, it is suspected that the accused might have taken up such illegal way to earn livelihood,” Sethi added.