Interstate ganja smuggling gang busted in Thane; 8 members held, MCOCA invoked

Thane, Dec 18 (PTI) In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, police in Thane district have busted a ganja smuggling gang operating across multiple states, arresting eight of its 14 members and seizing Rs 8.5 lakh worth of the contraband, officials said on Thursday.

A country-made pistol was also seized from the gang members, who have been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Atul Zende said.

Talking to reporters, Zende informed the operation was carried out jointly by the Mahatma Phule police station and the Kalyan traffic police following a specific tip-off received in August about a suspect transporting drugs via the Waldhuni bridge area in Kalyan town.

The arrests were made over multiple days recently, said the police officer.

Acting on the information, teams led by senior Inspector Baliram Singh Pardeshi (Mahatma Phule Police Station) and his counterpart from the traffic department Milind Zogde laid a trap in the Waldhuni area.

"A car bearing a Chhattisgarh RTO registration number was intercepted, but the driver attempted to flee. During the chase, the accused even tried to run over a constable with an intention to kill him. The vehicle was finally stopped using force," Zende said.

Upon searching the car, police recovered 35 kg of ganja worth about Rs 8.5 lakh and a country-made pistol, said the police officer.

Five occupants of the car were arrested on the spot. Based on their disclosures, police nabbed three more gang members from Bhiwandi (Thane district), Nagpur and Odisha, he added.

Police are currently searching for the absconding gang members, according to the DCP.

According to the police, investigations have revealed that the gang procured ganja in bulk from Odisha and supplied it to various cities, including Thane, Mumbai, Nagpur and Nashik. The gang's operations extended across Nagpur, Amravati, Bhandara and Thane districts in Maharashtra.

Notably, more than 40 cases related to drug smuggling have already been registered against the accused in Nagpur city police stations. PTI COR RSY