Varanasi: Sonbhadra Police arrested two alleged members of an interstate ganja smuggling gang and recovered 625 kilograms of illegal cannabis worth approximately Rs 3.10 crore.The action was carried out by Shahganj Police and the SOG team under the direction of Superintendent of Police Sonbhadra Abhishek Verma, with supervision by Additional Superintendent of Police Operations Rishabh Runwal and Circle Officer Ghorawal Rajesh Kumar Rai.Police also seized a six-wheel container vehicle allegedly used for transporting the ganja, valued at around Rs 20 lakh, along with two mobile phones and Rs 10,000 in cash. The total estimated value of the seizure is around Rs 3.30 crore.According to reports, on the intervening night of Sept 23 and 24, 2026, Shahganj Police were conducting patrolling and checking of suspicious vehicles and persons. SOG Inspector Ram Swaroop Verma informed the team that a suspicious container had been identified near Jait village through intelligence and surveillance inputs. When police tried to stop the container for checking, it fled towards Shahganj.Acting on the information, police started checking vehicles near a culvert ahead of Gaurishankar Temple on the Robertsganj-Ghorawal road. On seeing the police, the container driver stopped the vehicle before the culvert and tried to flee. The SOG team also reached the spot from the Robertsganj side. Two persons who were running along the canal embankment were arrested at around 3:05 am.During questioning, the arrested persons identified themselves as Dilip Kumar Dehuri and Santosh Kumar Sahu, both residents of Odisha. On checking the container, police found that the rear portion appeared empty, but a specially fabricated chamber had been created in the front section by welding iron sheets. On being pointed out by Dilip Kumar Dehuri, the special chamber was opened and 625 kilograms of illegal ganja was recovered.A case has been registered at Shahganj Police Station under Sections 8/20/27A/29/60 of the NDPS Act. The container vehicle has been seized under Section 60 of the NDPS Act and Section 207 of the Motor Vehicles Act.During interrogation, the accused stated that they are residents of Odisha and transport ganja for a person from Cuttack, Odisha. The special chamber in the container had been prepared on that person’s instructions and the ganja was loaded into it. The consignment was allegedly to be delivered to a person from Mirzapur.Police are investigating the roles of other persons whose names surfaced during interrogation and are examining the wider interstate ganja smuggling network. Further legal action is being taken on the basis of the seized mobile phones and other technical evidence.
