The gang claimed to smuggling ganja to Bengaluru from Visakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh by private buses, trains, and cargo services.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri
The Cottonpet police busted an inter-State drug racket and arrested six persons from Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha who were allegedly smuggling marijuana (ganja) from Andhra Pradesh to Delhi via Bengaluru by cargo services.
Police have seized 53.5 kilos of ganja worth ₹40 lakh from them along with nine mobile phones, 10 SIM cards, and and a goods autorickshaw to carry the drugs.
The racket came to light when Cottonpet police, based on credible information, intercepted the autorickshaw carrying the drugs and arrested two persons on July 13.
Based on information revealed by them, police arrested the rest of the accused who allegedly confessed to smuggling ganja to Bengaluru from Visakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh by private buses, trains, and cargo services.
According to the police, the prime accused deployed his associates in different cargo service companies across Karnataka to facilitate smuggling of the consignment without any checks.
After receiving a consignment, the accused would pack the drugs, which were concealed in readymade garment packages, and create a fake GST documents. The drugs consignment would be transported to Delhi and, based on demand, to other parts of India.
The police learnt that the accused had created a network spread across the major metro cities.
The accused have been booked under the NDPS Act and taken into police custody. As part of the investigations, Bengaluru police are seeking the help of their counterparts in Delhi, AP, Maharashtra, Telangana, Jharkhand, and officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau for exchange of information and to crack down on the network.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh announced a cash reward for the team that busted the racket.
Published – July 29, 2025 04:40 pm IST