Nagpur: In a major crackdown on the growing interstate narcotics trade, the Anti-Narcotics Squad (ANC) of Nagpur Rural Police has dismantled a well-organised opium smuggling racket operating between Jharkhand and Maharashtra, exposing a dangerous supply chain that allegedly funnelled huge quantities of drugs into the region.
In a high-risk operation carried out deep inside Jharkhand’s Simdega district, police seized a staggering 33 kg 767 grams of opium, popularly known as Afeem, valued at over Rs 1.68 crore. Investigators also recovered Rs 23.35 lakh in cash, believed to be proceeds from the illegal narcotics trade.
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Officials described the operation as one of the most significant anti-drug actions conducted by Nagpur Rural Police in recent months. The total seizure, including narcotics, cash, mobile phones, weighing equipment and packaging material, is estimated at Rs 1.92 crore.
The breakthrough came after days of intense surveillance, technical tracking and intelligence-based investigation aimed at exposing the network beyond just street-level carriers.
The case initially surfaced on May 20 when the ANC intercepted a truck driver near Udasa Flyover on the Umred-Nagpur Road during routine patrolling under Umred police station limits. During the search operation, police recovered 237.170 grams of opium worth Rs 1.18 lakh, along with a mobile phone and the vehicle allegedly being used to transport the contraband.
Realising that the seizure was only a small link in a much larger interstate drug chain, Superintendent of Police Dr Harssh A Poddar and Additional SP Anil Mhaske immediately constituted a special investigation team to trace the origin of the narcotics and identify the masterminds behind the operation.
“The objective was not merely to arrest carriers, but to dismantle the entire network, from suppliers to distributors and receivers,” SP Dr Poddar stated.
According to officials, investigators relied on confidential intelligence inputs, digital analysis and continuous movement tracking to crack the supply route. The probe eventually led police teams to Bhandartoli village in the Karpanadash area of Simdega district in Jharkhand.
Acting on precise intelligence, the ANC team conducted a raid on May 25 and arrested accused Manishkumar Ambika Prasad (46), a hotel businessman and resident of the village. During an extensive search of his premises, police allegedly uncovered a massive stockpile of opium concealed inside the house.
The raid resulted in the seizure of 33 kg 767 grams of opium worth Rs 1,68,83,500, cash amounting to Rs 23,35,000, a weighing machine, plastic packaging material, rubber bands and a mobile handset allegedly used in the illegal operation.
So far, two accused have been arrested in connection with the case, while police suspect the involvement of a larger interstate syndicate engaged in supplying narcotics across multiple states. Investigators are now working to identify financiers, transporters and other operatives linked to the racket.
Police sources indicated that further arrests are likely as the investigation expands into the financial and logistical backbone of the network.
