UP: 7 held with over 59 kg of ganja in joint police-ANTF raid in Kaushambi

Kaushambi (UP), Oct 29 (PTI) A joint team of the Kaushambi police, Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Barabanki and the Excise Department on Wednesday arrested seven alleged drug traffickers and seized over 59 kg of contraband from their possession, officials said. Following a tip-off, the joint team raided a shop located along the National Highway (NH-2) in the Saini area, Circle Officer (Chail) Abhishek Singh said. During the operation, seven persons identified as Sanjay Tripathi, Sandeep Kumar, Pankaj Vishwakarma, Ramkumar Sonkar, Rahul Yadav, Sunil Jaiswal and Sunil Kumar Patel were arrested, the officer said, adding that five of the accused hail from Kaushambi district and two from Pratapgarh. The police recovered around 59 kg of ganja, valued at approximately Rs 15 lakh, along with two motorcycles, an electronic weighing scale, Rs 15,750 in cash and six mobile phones from their possession, Singh added. During interrogation, the accused revealed that the raided shop had been rented by Pankaj Tripathi, a resident of the Karari Dham area in the district. They claimed Pankaj procured the contraband and supplied it to them, which they later sold in nearby districts and parts of Madhya Pradesh, police said. Pankaj, who was not present at the site during the raid, is currently absconding, the officer said. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest him. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act at Saini police station, and the arrested accused have been sent to court after completion of legal formalities, Singh added. PTI COR KIS SHS SHS MPL MPL