Palamu police seize 443 kg ganja worth ₹2.20 crore, two brothers arrested
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, August 29: Palamu police have seized 443 kg of ganja allegedly worth around ₹2.20 crore in the…
Palamu SP Kapil Chaudhary addresses a press conference at Naudeeha Bazar police station on Saturday, marking a departure from the usual practice of holding such briefings at the district headquarters.
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, August 29: Palamu police have seized 443 kg of ganja allegedly worth around ₹2.20 crore in the retail black market and arrested two brothers in connection with the consignment under the ongoing Operation Prahar against the illegal narcotics trade.
The seizure was made by Naudeeha Bazar police during a late-night patrol on Friday. The arrested brothers have been identified as Jamshed Alam and Ali Raza, residents of Mahuraon village under Naudeeha Bazar police station.
The two were produced before a court on Saturday and sent to judicial custody under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Palamu Superintendent of Police Kapil Chaudhary, who travelled to Naudeeha Bazar—around 60 km from Daltonganj—to address a press conference, said the house of the two brothers was allegedly being used to store narcotics.
According to the SP, the brothers allegedly transported ganja in smaller quantities using an autorickshaw. Police suspect that the consignment was intended for supply in Bihar, given Naudeeha Bazar’s proximity to the neighbouring state.
Chaudhary said preliminary investigation has pointed to a suspected conduit from Hariharganj in Palamu, who allegedly procured ganja from Odisha and stored the consignments at the brothers’ house.
Police are working to establish the identity and role of the suspected conduit and further investigate the supply network.
443 kg ganja recovered in 16 bags
According to police, the breakthrough came when a patrol team noticed a truck parked in a suspicious manner during routine patrolling on Friday night.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of two bags containing ganja, which were allegedly concealed in green coconut husks (Dhaab).
Further investigation and searches led police to recover a total of 443 kg of ganja packed in 16 bags containing 424 packets of varying weights.
Police said the seized substance was subjected to a drug-detection (DD) kit, which tested positive for ganja.
The truck, bearing an Odisha registration number, was also seized. Police additionally confiscated an autorickshaw bearing a Bihar registration number allegedly used for transporting the contraband.
SP holds press conference at rural police station
The SP’s decision to hold the press conference at Naudeeha Bazar police station, rather than at the district headquarters in Daltonganj, marked a departure from the usual practice.
Police officials said the move was intended to raise awareness among rural residents about the narcotics trade and highlight the police crackdown under Operation Prahar.
The operation, launched in July 2026, has been targeting narcotics suppliers, stockists, smugglers and buyers across the district.
Police step up action against narcotics network
SDPO Chhaterpur Prashant Kumar and the local police team were involved in the seizure operation.
The SDPO said the recovered ganja was dry and allegedly ready for sale. Police estimated its retail black-market value at around ₹2.20 crore.
The latest seizure is being seen as a significant breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown on narcotics in Palamu, with investigators now focusing on tracing the wider supply chain and identifying other persons allegedly involved in the network.
