TV
A large quantity of cannabis (ganja) was seized and a smuggling operation was busted after the car involved in its illegal transportation met with an accident near PN (Prananath Autonomous) College Square on National Highway 16 in Khordha, early this morning.
Several packets of ganja were hidden in the car's trunk and were being smuggled to an undisclosed location. After being informed about the accident, police reached the spot and found the large stash of cannabis. However, the driver and its occupants had already fled the spot.
Authorities subsequently seized both the cannabis and the vehicle and handed them over to the Excise Department for further investigation. The exact quantity of the seized ganja and its estimated value will be determined after weighing. Till the last reports, a probe was underway and no clear information is yet available about who was involved or where the ganja was being transported.
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The incident comes close after the Customs Department seized ganja worth over Rs 9 crore from a woman passenger at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar on January 6. As per sources, the apprehended woman was trying to smuggle the cannabis by rolling it in small packets and hiding it inside a bag.
Meanwhile, the seized contraband in Khordha also helped the state government’s mission of making Odisha free of ganja cultivation by 2026 under its ‘Green Clean’ initiative.
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Moreover, significant crackdown operations to realise that aim was undertaken last month when a joint team of police and the Excise Department destroyed cannabis cultivated on approximately 42 acres in the Gajapati district, estimated to be about Rs 8 crore.
