Police in Kalahandi district seized 160 bags of ganja weighing 2.8 tonnes from the forest near Jamuli village, bordering Kandhamala and Kalahandi.
The raid was conducted under the leadership of Rampur IIC Sanjukta Pradhan with support from Mohangiri outpost personnel.
Officials said the contraband, valued at over Rs 1 crore, was recovered during a raid in the Mao‑affected, tribal‑dominated region of Dedhasuli panchayat. Four persons were arrested, including a Gram Rakshi, and later produced in court.
The accused were identified as Galan Majhi and Kiju Majhi of Jamuli village, and Naib Harijan and his son Jitendra Harijan of Dedhasuli village. Police sources said the arrests mark the first seizure of such scale in the area.
The crackdown follows recent intelligence inputs about ganja being trafficked outside Odisha under the guise of online courier companies. Just three days earlier, joint teams of Kalahandi and Balangir police busted a racket and arrested one person.
Police and Excise officials had earlier destroyed ganja cultivation in Mohangiri, but the latest seizure has raised questions about how large‑scale cultivation continues unchecked. Locals allege possible complicity of officials, pointing to daily trafficking despite the presence of a police outpost.
Authorities said further investigation is underway to trace the network and identify those behind the illegal cultivation and trafficking.
