Nagpur: Mankapur police have busted an interstate drug trafficking racket, arresting four accused from Odisha and seizing 29.1 kg of ganja concealed in a specially fabricated hidden compartment of a car. The total value of the seized contraband, vehicle and mobile phones is estimated at ₹12.02 lakh.
The action was taken in the early hours of January 8, 2026, when police personnel on night patrol noticed a white car (HR-29 AZ 4166) parked under suspicious circumstances in front of Nupur Wine Shop at Farse Chowk. As officers approached the vehicle, one person fled the scene, while three occupants were detained on the spot.
The arrested accused were identified as Balram Dhana Burdi (23), Pradeepkumar Shyamsundar Das (50) and Surendra Dhanraj Pujari (18), all natives of Koraput district in Odisha. The fleeing accused was identified as Jatin Madan Khillo (22) of Nandapur Medical Colony, Koraput.
During a search conducted in the presence of panch witnesses, police discovered that the car’s boot had been tampered with by welding an iron sheet over the stepney cavity, creating a concealed compartment. Upon breaking it open, officers recovered 15 plastic packets of ganja weighing a total of 29 kg and 100 grams.
Police seized the ganja, the car and three mobile phones. Later, the absconding accused Jatin Khillo was traced and arrested from near Hotel Delhi Darbar on Ring Road, Mankapur.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were transporting the contraband for illegal sale to earn financial gains. A case has been registered at Mankapur police station under Sections 8(c), 20(b), 11(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is in progress to trace the supply chain and possible local links.
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