The Bhubaneswar Excise Range‑1 team busted a ganja smuggling racket early Wednesday morning, seizing 70 kg of ganja and arresting four accused, including the wife of the absconding kingpin.
Officials said the operation targeted a network smuggling ganja from Kandhamala district. Acting on intelligence, the squad intercepted two suspicious vehicles — a Honda WRV and a Mahindra Verito — near Tamando and Rupali Chhak. While the main accused Ratnakar Kahnar fled the scene, his wife Rasmita Kahnar, drivers Nilakantha Behera and Rahul Kumar Dip, and another woman were arrested.
Excise Inspector‑in‑Charge Rajkishore Swain confirmed that the contraband was concealed in second‑hand cars, a growing trend in smuggling operations. Preliminary investigation revealed that the gang collected ganja from Kandhamala and transported it through Bhubaneswar to Nayagada and other destinations.
The case has been registered under the NDPS Act, 1985, which prescribes stringent punishment for commercial quantities of narcotics — including 10 to 20 years imprisonment and heavy fines. Authorities said further investigation is underway to expose the full network.
