Balangir police have claimed a major breakthrough against an interstate cannabis network that allegedly used courier consignments to move ganja from western Odisha to the Delhi-NCR market.
Acting on specific intelligence, officers raided a lodge near the railway station area and arrested seven people, including two alleged masterminds from the M. Rampur belt of Kalahandi. Police said they seized 113 kg of ganja, two cars — a Hyundai Exter and a Swift Dzire — and nine mobile phones. A case has been registered at Adarsha Police Station as NDPS Case No. 413/2026, and the accused have been produced in court.
According to Balangir SP Abhilash G, the operation is the first time local police have publicly exposed a method in which large quantities of ganja were packed in Mohangiri, brought to Balangir, and then booked through courier as if they were ordinary e-commerce parcels. He said Delhi-Ghaziabad handlers had earlier trained businessmen from Kalahandi and helped them start the trade.
Police named Chandrakanta Tandi and Bimal Tandi of Singhpur village under M. Rampur as the principal accused. Also arrested were Jagatram Tandi, Pradeep Suna, Ratna Bhoi, Chhabilal Dharua and Tarachand Tandi. Investigators allege the group sourced ganja from Kandhamal, packed it in Mohangiri, moved it to Balangir, and dispatched it to Ghaziabad.
The cover, police said, was an online registration in the name of a “Sambalpuri Saree Centre.” Tags from that front were used so parcels would look like legitimate Amazon courier shipments. CCTV footage from the local courier centre allegedly showed similar bookings at least four times in about six months. Police have also questioned Amazon’s Odisha head and searched the Balangir courier facility.
SP Abhilash G briefed reporters at police headquarters. The raid was carried out under his direction and the supervision of SDPO Saroj Kumar Upadhyay. Officers named in the operation include Adarsha PS IIC Abani Kumar Sahu, SI Churchill Mahapatra, Bishakha Naik, SSI Baikuntha Deheri, SSI S. Bhue and other staff.
Police said further investigation is on to identify receivers in Ghaziabad and any remaining links in the supply chain.
