Unnao police bust inter-state ganja smuggling racket, arrest six

In a major breakthrough against drug trafficking, Unnao police have busted an inter-state ganja smuggling racket, recovering 1.51 quintals of illegal ganja worth approximately ₹75 lakh. The joint operation by Barasgawar police and the surveillance team also led to the arrest of six individuals and the seizure of a truck, a Maruti Dzire car, six mobile phones, and ₹5,550 in cash.

According to the police, the operation unfolded on July 30 during routine vehicle checks at Maheshkheda crossroads. Acting on a tip-off from an informer, the police intercepted a truck and a Dzire car suspected of transporting a large quantity of ganja. Upon inspection, they discovered five plastic sacks of ganja cleverly concealed inside steel boxes loaded onto the truck. All six suspects were apprehended on the spot.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that the ganja had been sourced from Balangir, Odisha. The smugglers had initially loaded building materials onto the truck and hid the ganja among them, intending to transport it to Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand. Police suspect this is part of a larger, active inter-state drug trafficking network and are now working to identify other members involved.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Rahul Singh (Rae Bareli), Vishal Das (Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand), Abhishek Yadav, Ram Singh, Arvind Yadav, and Vishal (all from Unnao). Cases have been registered against them under sections 8/20 of the NDPS Act at Barasgawar police station. The truck and car, lacking proper documentation, have also been seized.

Senior police officials have hailed this operation as a significant achievement in the fight against drug trafficking in the region. They assured that the campaign against narcotics in Unnao will continue with the same intensity. Some of the arrested individuals reportedly have prior cases under the NDPS Act and other serious offenses.