Bhubaneswar: Two Uttar Pradesh-based men, dressed in Kawadiya attire, were on Saturday arrested by Odisha’s Kandhamal Sadar police for allegedly transporting 60 kg of ganja in a car.
A purported attempt to give an interstate ganja haul a religious disguise came to an abrupt end in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Saturday, with Sadar police arresting two Uttar Pradesh-based men allegedly transporting 60 kg of the contraband in a car while dressed as Kawadiyas.
The arrested men were identified as Arbaaz Khan and Karamat Ali, both residents of Uttar Pradesh. Police also seized the car allegedly used for transporting the ganja.
Acting on specific information, a team of Sadar police intercepted the vehicle near Sankshikata and searched it. The search led to the recovery of 60 kg of ganja concealed inside the car, following which both occupants were taken into custody.
What particularly caught the investigators’ attention was the attire of the two men. They were allegedly dressed as Kawadiyas, devotees who traditionally undertake pilgrimages carrying holy water during the month of Shravan. Police suspect that the religious appearance may have been intended to avoid scrutiny while travelling with the contraband.
However, investigators were trying to to establish whether the attire was deliberately used as a cover or whether it had any other purpose.
The seizure prompted police to widen the probe beyond the immediate recovery. The two accused are being questioned about the source of the ganja, its intended destination and the persons who were to receive the consignment.
Investigators were also examining the route taken by the vehicle and possible links of the arrested men with an interstate network involved in the procurement and transportation of ganja.
Police were further trying to ascertain whether the duo had made similar trips in the past and whether other members of the alleged trafficking network were involved in the consignment.
The seizure comes amid continuing efforts by Odisha police to curb the movement of ganja from the state to other parts of the country. Kandhamal, known for its large-scale cultivation of cannabis in several remote pockets, has frequently emerged as a transit point in cases involving interstate trafficking.
For the investigators, the immediate challenge is now to determine whether Saturday’s seizure was an isolated consignment—or merely one link in a larger trafficking chain.
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