Sonbhadra (UP), Oct 1 (PTI) Two alleged interstate cannabis smugglers were arrested here, after 2.85 quintals of the contraband — worth around Rs 1.5 crore — was found in their possession, a senior police officer said on Thursday.
Police have seized the contraband, besides a Mahindra XUV car allegedly being used for cannabis smuggling, and two mobile phones, Superintendent of Police Abhishek Verma said.
Verma said the seizure was made Wednesday evening when police were checking vehicles on the Murdhawa-Rantola road under Pipri police station limits. When the driver of an XUV spotted the checking near Murdhawa, he allegedly turned the vehicle around and tried to flee.
A police team chased and intercepted the vehicle and detained its two occupants. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 2.85 quintals of cannabis packed in 195 packets, the SP said.
The accused were identified as Umesh Ahirwar, 23, and Mahipal, 23, both residents of Mahoba, he said.
During questioning, the accused allegedly told police that they had been told to transport the cannabis from Odisha to Mahoba, and were paid Rs 20,000 each per trip, Verma said.
The SP said the registration number displayed on the vehicle was also found to be fake.
The latest seizure is part of a series of operations by Sonbhadra Police to thwart cannabis-smuggling in the district. Between September 14 and 30, police have arrested nine alleged smugglers and seized nearly 12 quintals of cannabis with an estimated value of more than Rs 5.7 crore, according to officials. PTI COR KIS ARB
ARB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.