Kataka: Nearly 116 kg of ganja was seized from the Puri-LTT Express at Kataka railway station and five persons were arrested in a joint operation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), officials said.
The contraband, weighing 115.93 kg and estimated to be worth around Rs 57.96 lakh, was recovered from seven trolley bags and a backpack during a checking operation.
Acting on information about suspected transportation of ganja aboard the Puri-LTT Express (22866), which operates between Puri and Mumbai, the joint team intercepted five persons at the station and searched their luggage.
The arrested persons were identified as Sajid Ali Abdul Sakur Mariyar, Jitendra Ramesh Thakur, Tanveer Yakub Chagule and Ahmed Raza Siddiqui, all residents of Mumbai, and Abhishek Kumar of Patna in Bihar.
During questioning, the accused allegedly told investigators that they had travelled to Bhubaneswar, procured the ganja and were carrying it to Mumbai.
A case has been registered at the Kataka GRP police station under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The Railway SP said further investigation was underway to ascertain other details and identify possible links in the alleged ganja transportation network.
