Jagatsinghpur: In a major crackdown on narcotics trafficking, Jagatsinghpur Police on Monday seized 277.5 grams of brown sugar valued at ₹41.55 lakh and arrested five persons, including a woman alleged to be the kingpin of the racket.
Acting on reliable intelligence, a police team led by the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Jagatsinghpur, conducted a raid at Yashobantapur and busted a brown sugar trafficking network operating in the area.
Police identified Tara Sharma (30), wife of Bijay Kumar Sharma of Haldipadia Basti under Laxmisagar Police Station in Khordha district, as the main accused behind the illegal trade.
The other accused arrested in the case have been identified as Saroj Nayak (29) of Mahadebnagar, Jharpada; Nitin Behera (23) of Rasalpur village under Salepur Police Station in Cuttack district; Bikash Das (22) of Mahadeb Nagar under Jharpada Police Station; and Tapas Dalai (28) of an area under Gop Police Station in Puri district.
During the operation, police seized 277.5 grams of brown sugar, a white car bearing registration number OD 33 AR 2052, and five mobile phones from the accused.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were professional drug traffickers who allegedly procured brown sugar from the Jaleswar area of Balasore district and sold it at around ₹1.5 lakh for every 10 grams.
Police have registered a case and launched further investigation to ascertain the wider network and identify other persons involved in the illicit trade.