Ganja transported in ambulance from Odisha seized in MP; two arrested

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hitika Vasal told reporters that acting on a tip-off, an ambulance was stopped at Bherughat, about 40 km from the district headquarters, on Wednesday and searched following which the narcotic substance was found hidden in the vehicle.

The 138-kg consignment of ganja, kept in small and big packets in the rear portion of the ambulance, could fetch about Rs 40 lakh in the illicit drug market, he said. The arrested smugglers have been identified as Kiran Hantal, alias Telco (19), and Balram Ganapatra, alias W (21), Vasal said. Both hail from Odisha's Koraput district, bordering Andhra Pradesh, she added. "The consignment was brought from Odisha to Madhya Pradesh. In the initial interrogation, the smugglers have said that they wanted to supply this drug in Indore and other cities," the official said.

The Andhra Pradesh-registered ambulance used for inter-state smuggling of ganja has been seized, Vasal said. Further action is being taken against the arrested smugglers under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and their interrogation is underway, the SP added.