Bhubaneswar, Nov 2 – Police in Odisha’s Malkangiri district shut down a major drug‑smuggling plot early Sunday morning, seizing 60 kg of hashish oil and putting the illegal trade on trial.
Superintendent of Police Vinodh Patil told reporters that a patrol team from Chitrakonda station received a tip that eight men were gathering near the Sal Tree jungle at ESSAR Chowk. The men, carrying eight motorcycles and a plastic bag of contraband, were set to transport hashish oil to a buyer in neighboring Andhra Pradesh.
When the police arrived at about 11 a.m., the suspects fled. They left behind their motorcycles and the suspected plastic bag. The officers chased them into the dense forest, but the men escaped about 1 km away, taking advantage of the thick jungle cover.
The seized hashish oil is worth nearly ₹8 crore at current market rates. Patil said it is the largest single seizure of hashish oil in the history of Odisha and the highest in any Indian district. “This is the first time we have caught a hashish oil smuggling operation in Malkangiri or anywhere else in Odisha,” he added.
Indian authorities now focus on locating and arresting the eight escapees. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) reports that most large‑scale hashish oil seizures occur in states such as Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Anonymous sources suggest that the operation was part of a larger network that moves dark‑water cannabis across state borders. Malkangiri police are coordinating with neighboring agencies to trace the remaining members of the gang and cut off the supply route to Andhra.
The incident highlights the growing challenge of drug smuggling in Odisha. As the state’s police increase surveillance, investigators will likely face more sophisticated smuggling tactics.
Key terms for search engines: hashish oil seizure, Odisha drug smuggling, Malkangiri police action, Narcotics Control Bureau, illegal drug trafficking in India, drug bust Odisha.
Source: ianslive
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