In a joint operation by the Excise Department and the Satellite Unit team in Jaleswar, Balasore district, brown sugar worth approximately Rs32 lakh was seized from two separate locations. Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the haul.
The accused have been identified as Sudip Kumar Bhuyana, a resident of Tambakhori village under Rasgovindpur Police Station in Mayurbhanj district, and SK Shajan of Patharpura village under Jaleswar Police Station.
Acting on a tip-off, the excise team conducted two raids. During the first operation near Ambaliatha bypass under the Jaleswar police limits, they apprehended one suspect and recovered 110 grams of brown sugar from his possession.
In a second raid along National Highway No. 60, another youth was arrested with 215 grams of brown sugar. The combined seizure of 325 grams of the banned substance is estimated to be worth Rs32 lakh in the illegal market.
Both suspects were taken into custody and presented before the court by the Excise Police for further proceedings.
This follows a major crackdown earlier in March this year, when the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police seized brown sugar worth ₹72 lakh during simultaneous raids in the state capital, leading to six arrests.
