Nagpur: In a major breakthrough in Nagpur’s fight against narcotics, the Kalamna Police have arrested the elusive mastermind of a ganja smuggling racket stretching from Odisha to Nagpur. The accused, identified as Sukanta Pradhan (24), alias ‘Bulbul’ or ‘WhatsApp Bhai’, was picked up from his hometown Bisnathpur in Sambalpur, Odisha, and brought to Nagpur over the weekend.
The arrest follows a recent seizure of 108 kg of ganja from a truck in Nagpur. Acting on intelligence inputs, police had earlier apprehended Palash Vidyadhar Wankhede (31) of Suryoday Nagar and Avinash Sanjay Dhoke (34) of Anand Nagar, who were caught red-handed with the consignment cleverly concealed among regular goods. Besides the narcotics, police also confiscated the truck and an SUV used in the operation.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
Investigations revealed a well-organized supply chain: Avinash made frequent trips to Odisha in his truck, transporting ganja hidden in sacks along with other cargo. The contraband would then be handed over to Palash, who paid Rs 1,000 per bag as delivery commission. It was Palash who eventually spilled the beans on their main contact – a man he knew only as ‘WhatsApp Bhai’, owing to their encrypted dealings on the messaging platform.
The breakthrough prompted DCP Niketan Kadam to mobilize a dedicated team. Spearheaded by Senior PI Praveen Kale and PSI Santoshkumar Ramlod, the team received cyber assistance from Zone 5’s technical experts. Constables Sachin Tangale and Ashish Piperhete zeroed in on the accused’s precise location using mobile surveillance and digital trails.
The team nabbed the accused on Saturday and immediately brought him to Nagpur. He was produced before a court on Sunday, which remanded him to police custody till June 12 to facilitate further interrogation and identify more links in the inter-state smuggling network.
This high-profile arrest is being seen as a significant step toward dismantling a larger drug syndicate operating across state borders.
