Prakasam police busted a ganja smuggling racket with the arrest of four persons from Tamil Nadu near N.G.Padu village in Prakasam district on Friday. Contraband worth₹25 lakh has been seized from them.
On a tip-off, a team from Ongole Rural police led by Deputy Superintendent of Police K.V.V.N.V. Prasad tried to stop a car and a lorry that followed on the Old Madras Road near Uppugunduru village. On seeing the police the accused tried to flee. After a hot chase, the four persons were nabbed near the Inkollu Crossroad in the morning, Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kaushal told a media conference here. A thorough check of the vehicles led to recovery of 150 kg ganja from the lorry and another 50 kg from the car stored in secret chambers in them.
The accused were identified as R. Thangaraj(47), K.Karthik(27), A.Jayaraj(28) and A Devaraj from Cumbum in Tamil Nadu.
Police in the presence of N.G.Padu Mandal Executive Magistrate seized 400 kg ganja as also the lorry and car used to transport them.
On interrogation, they told the police that they had sourced the contraband from Rampachodavaram and its surroundings in Godavari districts and moving it to Cumbum in Tamil Nadu at the behest of one Kabir who had engaged them by paying ₹1 lakh each.
