Hemp worth Rs 40 lakh seized in Odisha’s Malkangiri district

Malkangiri: Around 390 kg of ganja (dry cannabis) worth Rs 40 lakh was seized by the excise official during a series of raids at multiple locations of the district on Friday.

The excise superintendent and a special team constructed on the instructions of the district collector reportedly conducted a raid after obtaining a tip-off from a reliable source about the ganja.

As per reports, the team intercepted a person who was moving in a suspicious manner near Pipalpadar area. They found some ganja in his possession while checking him.

Later, the team searched his house and recovered around 330 kg of ganja. It is suspected that the person had stored the ganja to smuggle it to other parts of the country.

In a similar case, around 30 kg of ganja was seized near Balimela. The team intercepted a person, who was allegedly transporting the contraband on a motorcycle.

A senior official said that they seized around 390 kg of ganja, which had an estimated market value of around Rs 40 lakh from two persons. Two separate cases have been registered and further investigation in this connection is underway.