Contraband worth Rs 25 cr seized from ‘special truck’

Three persons have been arrested by the Allahabad police for allegedly being involved in smuggling marijuana from Odisha to eastern districts in Uttar Pradesh. A truck, specially modified for the purposes, has also been seized from the accused.

The police said they recovered nearly 700 kg of marijuana being brought from Odisha. The total cost of the seized contraband could be over Rs 25 crore, they said. The mastermind, Trishul Chandra, a resident of Manda in Allahabad, is absconding.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Senior Superintendent of Police (Allahabad) Mohit Agrawal said, "The three accused - Niranjan Sahu, Janmejay Sahu and Trilochan Swen, belonging to Kharda and Jajpur districts of Odisha - were arrested near ordnance depot in Shiv Kuti area on Sunday evening."

"The modified truck looked like any normal delivery van and, when opened, would look empty. However, there was a secret chamber just behind the driver's cabin. The accused would load the contraband in this chamber through an opening on the vehicle's roof top. After filling it up, it would be sealed with coal tar and foam. At the destination point, the consignment would be taken out from an outlet beneath the secret chamber," said Agrawal. The criminal antecedents of the arrested accused were being verified, he added.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Trishul Chandra was the mastermind, who had his contacts in Odisha. He would procure the contraband and sell it at various places, including Mirzapur and other surrounding districts. Trishul has more than a dozen criminal cases registered against him in various police stations.

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