Cops arrest ganja traffickers using women, child as shield

Bhubaneswar: Police in Subarnapur district on Thursday uncovered a ganja trafficking tactic in which smugglers allegedly used women and a child as cover, posing as a family on a road trip to avoid police checks.

The modus operandi came to light after police intercepted a car carrying 31 kg of ganja during an early morning operation on Thursday under the Special Nasha Mukt Odisha Abhiyan. Three persons, including two women, were arrested, while the child found in the vehicle was sent home safely.

According to SP (Subarnapur) Narayan Nayak, the car drew suspicion when it accelerated on seeing a police team. “Our police team chased the car for around 2 km before stopping it. At first glance, the occupants appeared to be a family travelling together. During questioning, however, their story began to unravel,” the SP said.

Police said one of the women identified the male occupant as her husband but failed to tell officers his name when asked. The inconsistent answers prompted a detailed search, leading to the recovery of ganja allegedly concealed inside briefcases in the vehicle.

IG (northern range) Himanshu Lal said enforcement teams intensified surveillance against trafficking networks. “We have been keeping an eye on ganja trafficking, and no trick of the mafias will work, and they will all be caught. In just four days, a ganja cartel has been busted with seizure of altogether 15 quintals of ganja worth Rs 20 crore,” he said. The back-to-back seizures are a blow to organised ganja cartels operating through western Odisha routes, the IG added.

In a separate case detected on Thursday, police seized 121 kg of ganja from a secret chamber built inside a pickup vehicle and arrested two more accused. Sources said ganja mafia have been using Balangir and Subarnapur disricts as a transit corridor for smuggling from source districts like Boudh and Kandhamal to other parts of the state and beyond. Traffickers are increasingly adopting deceptive methods, including using women and children as human shields, to reduce suspicion during highway movement.