In a major bust on Sunday night, Puri police arrested four inter-district drug peddlers and seized 538.5 grams of brown sugar worth Rs 55 lakh, along with a country-made pistol, Rs 7.32 lakh in cash, and four vehicles.
The operation was carried out based on intelligence inputs regarding drug trafficking at a parking area near a high school on Loknath Road. A special police team led by Sub-Inspector Shrikant Sahoo raided the site and apprehended the accused, identified as Sumanta Sundara (28), Sk Subed (21), Sk Imtiaz (28), and Satyajit Das (48). One other suspect managed to escape during the operation.
Police investigation revealed that the arrested individuals had a history of involvement in several narcotic-related offenses across multiple districts, including Khurda, Balasore, and others. They reportedly sourced brown sugar from West Bengal and were distributing it across various districts, including Khurda and Puri, via Bhadrak, Jajpur, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar.
Authorities confirmed that the suspects had accumulated wealth from their illicit activities and procured firearms to protect their operations and expand their network. Legal formalities under the NDPS Act and Arms Act were completed, and the accused were presented in court on Monday. Further investigations are ongoing.
