Baripada: Excide department personnel here seized a large quantity of mahua flowers, used to make a local intoxicant, and arrested two persons on charges of smuggling the drug into Odisha. Another accused manage to flee the spot.
The arrested have been identified as Prasanjit Das (35) of Bhuskunda village under Shuliapada police limits and Sam Soren (52) of Putulia area under Gopiballavpur police station in West Bengal. The absconder is Chandan Mohapatra (40) of Dhavanisolaka village under Chandua police limits.
According to reports, Baripada Excise Department received an input that huge quantity of mahua flowers was being smuggled into Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district from Jharkhand. Acting on the tip-off, a team led by District Excise Mobile Unit-1 Inspector Sridhar Mohanty conducted a raid on the instructions of District Excise Collector Prashant Kumar Kahur. A pickup truck loaded with mahua flower was stopped and inspected at Dhavanishola under Chandua police station on Saturday evening. A total of 2.80 quintal of mahua flower seized from the pickup truck. The estimated value of which is more than Rs 6 lakh.
Mahua flowers were being smuggled from Jharkhand to Delhi. The smuggling of mahua flowers from Jharkhand to Mayurbhanj district has spread, and the Excise Department has already seized two vehicles and a large quantity of methamphetamine.
The two arrested accused were produced in court on Sunday.
