Argus News - Odisha’s Drug Menace under Scanner as Brown Sugar Worth ₹20 Lakh Seized, Two Arrested

Khordha, Feb 3: Two brown sugar peddlers have been arrested while distributing the contraband disguised as sugar packets to lure young buyers.

Tangi Excise Department officials arrested the duo at the playground of Sarapari-Chhanagiri village under Jankia police limits in Khordha district.

The Excise team was led by Inspector Ajit Kumar Patra and Officer-in-Charge Ramesh Chandra Barik. Acting on a tip-off, the team devised a plan to nab the culprits red-handed.

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Disguised as customers, the Excise Department officials approached the suspects and purchased the so-called “sugar packets.” The team, without delay, apprehended the two accused and seized the narcotics.

Both the brown sugar peddlers have been identified — Rabindra Kumar Pradhan of Telengapada village under Gadishagada police station in Puri district and Suryakant Mahapatra of Damodarpur village under Brahmagiri police station.

The duo, packaging brown sugar into small sachets, was selling brown sugar to youngsters under the deceptive name of ‘Chini Pudia’.

The Excise Department officials confiscated brown sugar worth approximately ₹20 lakh along with a motorcycle used in the illegal trade. The authorities confirmed that the seized contraband was intended for distribution among local youth.

Both the accused were produced in court after the arrest. “Strict legal action will be pursued against them under relevant sections of the law,” said an official.

A couple of months ago, brown sugar worth ₹65 Lakh — ₹40 Lakh in Bhubaneswar, ₹15 Lakh in Khordha, and ₹10 Lakh in Cuttack’s CDA area — was seized in Odisha.

The crackdown on narcotics continues against a backdrop of rising NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act cases in Odisha. As per the available data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Odisha registered 1,891 cases under the NDPS Act in 2023. This marks an increase from 1,642 cases in 2022 and 1,179 cases in 2021.