Persistence helps police bust inter-State ganja racket
The Hindu
Ten members of Andhra Pradesh-based racket arrested so far
When the Ernakulam Rural police seized nearly 150 kg of ganja and arrested three in two separate operations at Angamaly and the nearby Kalloorkad in November last, it appeared as a one-off haul notwithstanding the volume involved. But to the credit of the police, they did not stop the probe with the seizure, which is usually the norm, but did a meticulous follow-up investigation for which District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) K. Karthik formed a special investigation team (SIT). Four months down the line that persistence stands vindicated, as a ganja smuggling racket based at Paderu, a tribal village in Andhra Pradesh with suspected Maoist presence, remains busted and 10 persons arrested so far with more arrests likely. “The racket has a network of Malayali agents at Paderu and nearby areas to link up with wholesale dealers from Kerala who were met at chosen points along highways. Different quality samples priced between ₹1,500 and ₹5,000 were shown during these highway meetings, deals were finalised, and then the agents left with vehicles of their clients before returning them with the consignments in meticulous packages of 2-2.50kg,” said sources associated with the probe.More Related News