Five members of an inter-state gang of narcotics smugglers were arrested from the Polytechnic crossing by the UP Special Task Force (STF) on Thursday.
The team recovered 156 kg of marijuana, estimated to have a market value of ₹50 lakh, from the accused.
“We have arrested Vinod Singh, Ravi Gupta and Rajendra Singh of Bahraich along withVinod Kumar and Sandeep Tiwari of Ayodhya with a cache of marijuana. The accused were planning to distribute the consignment of drug in different parts of the state,” said Rajiv Narayan Mishra, SSP (STF).
The arrest was reportedly made on intelligence input regarding the movement of the gang.
According to senior STF officials, the accused were planning to transfer the drugs to a person in Bahraich who owns registered shops to sell cannabis in several districts of the state. The STF team is trying to track him to interrogate him about his alleged link with the gang.
The marijuana was stashed in a car in which the accused were travelling. “During interrogation, the accused confessed that they were bringing the marijuana from Jagdalpur district of Odisha via Madhya Pradesh,” said the SSP.
“The accused used a fake number plate of Madhya Pradesh while driving through the state and replaced it with a UP number plate after entering this state,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The accused used a fake number plate of Madhya Pradesh while driving through the state and replaced it with a UP number plate after entering this state,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The STF lodged cases against the accused under relevant sections.