Mumbai Crime Branch busts Interstate Drug Network in Odisha, Kingpin Detained
Two individuals, including a notorious interstate drug kingpin, Laxmikant Pradhan, and his associate, Bidhadhar Pradhan, have been apprehended in Odisha by the Mumbai Crime Branch in connection to a significant ganja seizure case, officials announced on Wednesday.
The arrests stem from an 1820 kg ganja case valued at Rs 3.85 crore. Lata Sutar, a senior police inspector with the Ghatkopar anti-narcotics cell (ANC), revealed that seven accused in this case were evading arrest, strategically changing their identities and hiding in locations such as Hyderabad, Telangana, Odisha, and Nepal.
The Ghatkopar ANC received credible information about interstate drug peddlers involved in the truck movement on December 12, 2021. They set up a trap in the Vikroli east area, resulting in the arrest of two individuals in possession of 1820 kg of ganja valued at Rs 4 crore, as stated by Inspector Sutar.
The arrested individuals faced charges under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Subsequent investigations revealed that the kingpin, Laxmikant Pradhan, and his associate were frequently shifting their locations between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
Acting on reliable information, a team led by Api Londhe and five police staff was dispatched to Odisha. They successfully apprehended Laxmikant Pradhan and Bidhadhar Pradhan, the main gang leader and interstate drug peddler, in Golanthara, State-Odisha, on December 9, 2023.
Both accused were brought to Mumbai with transit remand. With these arrests, a total of five individuals involved in drug peddling have been taken into custody in connection to this case, Inspector Sutar added.
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