Kalimela: Police seized 54 kg of ganja from Gumuka village under Kalimela block in Malkangiri district and arrested the drug peddler.

The smuggler has been identified as Jaharlal Haldar of MV 26 village under Korukonda police station station in the district.

Based on intelligence input, a team of cops under Kalimela SI Sujit Biswas conducted a raid in that area and apprehended the accused who was smuggling the contraband through an autorickshaw. About 54 kg of the contraband was being transferred in three plastic bags. The expected value of the contraband is over Rs 4 lakhs.

But the driver of the vehicle managed to escape from the spot. A manhunt has been launched to catch the driver. The accused has been forwarded to the court. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered in the police station against the accused.