Sanjeev Kumar Pradhan

Balasore: Continuing its crackdown on illegal sale of drugs, the Excise department today seized brown sugar worth nearly Rs 3 lakh from Jhadeswar slum of Balasore district and arrested a suspected drug peddler.

Acting on a tip-off, the Excise department conducted raids in the slum area and seized 23 grams of brown sugar from one Anil Khatek, a resident of Kharagpur in West Bengal. Officer-in-charge of the Excise department, Haraprasad Rana informed that Khatek was arrested on charges of selling the contraband item in the area.

“We conducted raids at the slum early morning today and arrested the youth who is a resident of West Bengal and seized 23 grams of brown sugar from his possession. He is being interrogated to elicit more information about the drug operations,” the OIC said.

In December, 210 grams of brown sugar worth Rs 16 lakh was seized from Jaleswar area following a raid by the Excise department. Similarly, 155 grams of brown sugar was seized from Basta area of Balasore in the same month.

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