Two drug peddlers from Uttar Pradesh were apprehended in Jharkhand’s Simdega district while attempting to transport 60 kg of ganja from Phulbani in Odisha’s Kandhamal district to Uttar Pradesh, police confirmed on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Sanjay Kumar (35), a resident under Sarai Mamrej police station in Prayagraj, and Akash Kumar Yadav (27), from Alapur village under Mirganj police station in Jaunpur district.
According to Harsh Kumar, officer-in-charge of Kolebira police station, the arrests followed actionable intelligence shared by Simdega Deputy Commissioner Kanchan Singh and Superintendent of Police M Arshi. In response, barricades were set up on Main Road in Kolebira and on Larwa Road.
A suspicious vehicle was stopped and searched at the Larwa Road barricade, leading to the recovery of 60 kg of ganja—worth over Rs5 lakh in the illicit market. The contraband was concealed in the vehicle the duo was using.
The two have been charged under sections 20 (B) II (C) and 24(C) of the NDPS Act, along with sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), for operating with fake registration numbers from two states.
During interrogation, the arrested individuals revealed that a person named Pande, operating from Bhadoli under Bhadohi district in UP, is the alleged mastermind behind the smuggling operation. He reportedly supplied the vehicle used for transporting the drugs.
Police are continuing investigations to locate and apprehend the kingpin and trace the broader supply network.
