Daltonganj: Police seized 443 kg of ganja, estimated to be worth Rs 2.2 crore, and arrested two brothers during a crackdown under the ongoing Operation Prahar in Palamu district’s Naudeeha Bazar on Friday night.The accused, identified as Jamshed Alam and Ali Raza, both residents of Mahuraon village, were sent to judicial custody on Saturday under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.Palamu SP Kapil Chaudhary said the house where the accused lived was allegedly being used to store ganja for smuggling into neighbouring Bihar. Police suspect that a Harihurganj-based conduit procured the contraband from Odisha and stored it at the house before distribution.The operation began when a police team on routine night patrol spotted a truck parked under suspicious circumstances. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of two bags of ganja concealed beneath a consignment of green coconuts. The subsequent investigation resulted in the seizure of 443 kg of ganja packed in 424 packets kept in 16 bags. A drug-detection test confirmed the substance as ganja.Police also seized the Odisha-registered truck and a Bihar-registered tempo. Chaudhary said efforts were under way to arrest the alleged supplier and identify other members of the smuggling network.
