Nagpur: In a significant crackdown on the drug trade, the Crime Branch Unit-5 of Nagpur Police seized over 106 kilograms of ganja valued at ₹26.71 lakh and arrested two accused during a raid in the Pardi area on Thursday, July 17. The total value of seized goods, including a commercial tempo, mobile phones, and other materials, is estimated at ₹41.58 lakh.
The operation was conducted between 4:02 pm and 8:50 pm along the service road near Mahalaxmi Petrol Pump, opposite Umiya Vasahat on the Bhandara-Hyderabad Highway. Acting on a tip-off received by PSI Rajendra Taklikar from a confidential informer, a police team intercepted an Eicher tempo parked at the location. On checking, they found large quantities of ganja concealed under vegetable crates.
The arrested accused have been identified as Taj Habib Sheikh Mohammad (27), a resident of Waki in Saoner, and Shailendra Ramlakhan Gupta (28), a resident of Yadav Nagar under Yashodhara Nagar Police Station. Police also identified three absconding accused: Mohsin alias Firoz, Chhotu, and Wangu, and have launched a manhunt to apprehend them.
The seizure includes 106.850 kg of ganja, an Eicher tempo (MH40BG6034) worth ₹14 lakh, three mobile phones valued at ₹26,000, two metal levers used for opening crates, and 203 vegetable crates worth ₹60,900.
A case has been registered at Pardi Police Station under sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(c), and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Police Inspector Sandeep Buwa, in charge of Crime Branch Unit-5, confirmed that further investigation is underway to track the remaining accused and uncover the supply network behind the seized contraband.
