Bhubaneswar: The Special Task Force (STF) of the State Crime Branch on Friday arrested a Kerala-based man along with three youths from Odisha for their alleged involvement in an inter-state ganja trafficking racket operating across Odisha, Kerala, and Karnataka.
The arrested persons have been identified as Mohammad Asif (27) of Alappuzha in Kerala, a BBA graduate alleged to be the kingpin of the racket, and his associates Chandan Digal (23), Rashmi Ranjan Digal (26), and Subhransu Sekhar Panda (22) from Odisha.
STF Deputy Inspector General Kanwar Vishal Singh said the accused were part of an organised network engaged in the procurement, storage, and transportation of cannabis to various states, including Karnataka and Kerala.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, STF personnel conducted a raid at a rented house in the Badagada area of Bhubaneswar, which was being used as a storage facility for ganja. During the operation, officials seized several packets of cannabis from the premises.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Chandan Digal and Rashmi Ranjan Digal, both residents of Kandhamal district, along with Subhransu Sekhar Panda of Balasore, were involved in sourcing cannabis and supplying it to Asif, who further coordinated interstate distribution.
The accused had assembled in the Pandav Nagar area of Bhubaneswar to finalise the transportation of the contraband to Kerala and other southern states when they were apprehended.
“Asif had come to Bhubaneswar a few days ago to receive a consignment. He was earlier involved in a drug-related case under the Khandagiri police station limits in August 2025. If required, we will take the accused on remand to probe backward and forward linkages of the network,” DIG Singh said.
Investigators further said the network had plans to supply ganja to college students and pub circuits in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram.
Further investigation is underway to trace the wider supply chain and other members linked to the racket.
