The district police arrested two persons while they were allegedly transporting about 2,200 kg of dry ganja near Makavarapalem in Visakhapatnam district on Thursday night.
They were allegedly trying to shift the ganja from Visakhapatnam to Maharashtra via Hyderabad. Though the seized ganja is said to worth ₹1.2 crore in the Agency areas of Visakhapatnam, the market value of the ganja in Maharashtra or Hyderabad is expected to be close to ₹2.5 crore.
According to Makavarapalem Sub-Inspector K. Ramu, based on credible information, the police teams laid a trap and intercepted a vehicle. Upon thorough checking they found the ganja packed in 55 bags. Two persons -- Ch. Suresh (19) of Nalgonda and T. Seshu (37) of Visakhapatnam Agency -- were arrested.
To escape from the police checking, the ‘smugglers’ placed about 75 bags of paddy (about 3,700 kg) over the ganja bags and also covered the load with a tarpaulin sheet, he said.
“Expecting police check, they also changed the registration number of the vehicle by fixing fake number plates. However, they failed to change one number plate,” said the SI.
This is said to be the highest quantity of ganja seized in the last couple of months. In the months of October and November alone this year, the district police have seized about 6,534 kg dry ganja at various parts in the district limits.
