Interstate ganja smuggling network busted; 5 held

Thane: Police in Maharashtra have busted an interstate ganja smuggling syndicate, tracing it from cultivators in Naxal-affected forests of Odisha to bulk receivers in Goa, officials said on Tuesday, August 11.

Five key operatives have been arrested, and the contraband valued at Rs 4.5 lakh has been seized, the Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) here said.

After launching the probe on June 1, the GRP initially apprehended two individuals — Nikkikumar Hardev Shah (19) and Kuldeep Raju Mahto Mandal (26), both transit carriers hailing from Bihar, at Kalyan Railway Station and seized 21.95 kg of ganja from them, the police said.

Their interrogation, analysis of call detail records, mobile locations and financial transactions showed that the contraband was sourced from Odisha and meant for retail distribution in Goa via transit through Maharashtra, the police said.

A probe team subsequently carried out raids in Madgaon, South Goa, between July 18 and 22 and arrested Ashrof Sunar Khan (21), the intended recipient of the consignment, Kalyan GRP Senior Police Inspector Archana Dusane said in a release.

Following his interrogation, the team conducted searches in Odisha’s Kandhamal district between July 24 and 31 and apprehended Vidyadhar Laxmidhar Nayak (43), who acted as the primary supplier, the release said.

Nayak identified Srikant Mander Pradhan (38) as the source who grew cannabis deep inside dense, Naxal-affected forest areas.

Despite operational hazards and terrain challenges, the probe team later arrested Pradhan from Daringbadi in Kandhamal, the official said.

“This was an intricate, multi-state operation where our team successfully traced the entire chain – from the receiver down to the primary cultivator operating — in extremely tough conditions. By coordinating closely with local police in Goa and Odisha, we managed to neutralise a major interstate corridor for illicit narcotics,” Dusane said.

Further investigation was underway to identify financial backers, additional associates, and money laundering channels linked to the network, she added.