According to reports, the two accused were arrested by police on Wednesday while smuggling ganja and brought to Kalimela hospital for a health check-up before being produced before the court.
However, the duo managed to give the cops a slip.
Acting on a tip-off on the smuggling of narcotics, a team of Excise department personnel in Koraput stepped up vehicle checking drives at various places in the town.
During the checks, the sleuths intercepted a truck loaded with oal at Mendhaguda chhak and found the massive consignment of ganja concealed under the load of vegetables during checking, informed Excise Inspector Pramod Kumar Banua.
After unloading the vegetables, the officials found that the truck was carrying a whopping 10.29 quintals of ganja having market value worth of over Rs 50 lakh.
The truck driver has been arrested on charges of smuggling the contraband.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the registration number of truck belongs to Maharashtra. However, the other details like the source and the destination of the consignment and those involved in the smuggling are being probed, said Banua.
Acting on an intel about the smuggling of the prohibited narcotics, officials of Vishakhapatnam DRI on Wednesday intercepted the goods carriage vehicle bearing registration number- OD 02 BD 4155 and an escort car bearing registration number- OD U 7223 near NAD Junction.
Later, the officials searched the goods carriage vehicle and found 40 bags concealed under a load of banana stalks. The bags were stuffed with 800 packets of brown packets containing ganja. The DRI officials also arrested four persons for their involvement in the transportation of the cannabis.
Sources said, the contraband consignment was loaded in the vehicle near Narsipatnam on February 26 and handed over to the driver near Anakapalle the same day. The contraband item was reportedly procured from Vishaka agency area and was being transported to Bhubaneswar.
The said item was detained under the provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Meanwhile, the DRI has also seized the vehicle and further investigation into the case is on.