Kalimela (Malkangiri): In an unusual smuggling attempt, an ambulance allegedly carrying more than 200 kg of ganja in a specially concealed chamber was intercepted on Thursday by Kalimela police in Malkangiri district, with two inter-state traffickers from Maharashtra arrested in connection with the seizure.
Acting on intelligence inputs, police intercepted the ambulance in the Sudhakonda forest area and recovered the contraband concealed inside the vehicle. The seized ganja is estimated to be worth between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 30 lakh in the illegal market.
The arrested duo, both residents of Maharashtra, were allegedly transporting the contraband from Malkangiri to Maharashtra, police said. The ambulance has been seized and further investigation is underway to ascertain the network involved in the interstate trafficking operation.
The seizure comes amid repeated reports of ganja being transported from the border areas of Malkangiri to different parts of Odisha and other states. Despite regular enforcement drives by police and the Excise Department, the illegal trade continues to pose a challenge in the district.
In a recent operation, police had seized ganja valued at more than Rs 1 crore and arrested two local alleged traffickers along with a pickup vehicle.
Earlier, on July 10 last year, Kalimela police had seized more than 10 quintals of ganja from the vicinity of the same Badaliguda Ghat.
On July 5, Kalimela police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted another pickup near Badaliguda Ghat and seized around 320 kg of ganja allegedly being transported to another state.
Police suspect that traffickers from outside Odisha are operating in coordination with local networks to transport ganja across state borders. Further investigation is underway to identify other persons involved in the racket.
