Andhra Pradesh: 563 kg ganja seized; 3 inter-state smugglers arrested

Visakhapatnam: The Srikakulam District Police arrested three inter-state marijuana smugglers and seized 563.920 kg of the drug from their possession. The accused Ayub Maji (A1), Ranjit Bardhan (A2), and Abhi Majji (A3) were growing the ganja in Odisha's Gajapati district and intended to sell it in Tamil Nadu.

"The police received a tip-off on October 24 about a vehicle transporting Ganja. When the police tried to intercept the vehicle, the driver rammed it into an oncoming two-wheeler and fled the scene. The vehicle had 16 bags of ganja, weighing 563.920 kg," Srikakulam DSP K.V. Maheswara Reddy said at a press meet on Tuesday.

Maji is accused of cultivating the Ganja, Bardhan is involved in the transportation and Majji was facilitating its movement. Police made the arrests after a two-week search operation.

The case was registered under sections 20(b)(ii)(c), 8(c), and 25 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 at Meliaputti Police Station in Andhra Pradesh.