Chatra (IANS): In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, Chatra district police arrested five persons allegedly involved in the smuggling of banned brown sugar, officials said on Monday. Narcotics worth approximately Rs 6 lakh were seized during the operation, along with a car used in the crime and five mobile phones.
The arrests followed a tip-off received by Superintendent of Police Sumit Kumar Agrawal. Acting on the information, the SP constituted a special team from the Sadar police station under the supervision of Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO–Sadar) Sandeep Suman.
According to police, intelligence inputs indicated that brown sugar was being bought and sold from a car parked in the Turag forest area along the Chatra–Itkhori main road, which falls under the Sadar police station limits. After verifying the information, the police team cordoned off the area and conducted a raid, arresting five traffickers red-handed while they were engaged in the illegal trade.
During the search operation, police recovered brown sugar packed in multiple small packets, the car, and mobile phones of various brands from the accused.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Rupesh Kumar Dangi, a resident of Manghaniya village in Mayurhand; Neeraj Kumar Yadav, Prakash Kumar Dangi, and Laxman Kumar Dangi, all residents of Dhodhi village in Mayurhand; and Rakesh Kumar Dangi, a resident of Lowagada village under the Chatra Sadar police station area.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused were allegedly acting as middlemen in the narcotics supply chain. They reportedly procured brown sugar and opium from major drug kingpins and distributed the contraband across several police station areas in Chatra and neighbouring Hazaribagh district.
The SP said the ownership of the seized car has been traced to a resident of Hazaribagh district, and police are investigating the possible link between the vehicle owner and the arrested accused. Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the white-collar mafia and key masterminds operating behind the drug trafficking network, officials added.
