Bhubaneswar, Nov 17: The Commissionerate Police’s Special Crime Unit (SCU) has apprehended a brown sugar peddler and seized 400 grams of the contraband from his possession. The accused has been identified as Sheikh Akbar, a resident of Balasore.

Akbar was arrested during a raid at Bhubaneswar’s Srikalinga Station, where the SCU team intercepted him based on prior intelligence. According to officials, he had been actively involved in drug peddling in the Sahadevkhunta area of Balasore.

The seized brown sugar, weighing 400 grams, is estimated to be worth ₹40 lakh in the illegal market.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the mastermind behind the drug syndicate is Sheikh Sadiq, an interstate narcotics trafficker. Police sources revealed that Sadiq sources brown sugar from the Dhalajahar hub in Jaleswar, Balasore, and supplies it to various cities across the region.

Further investigation is underway to trace the complete network and additional associates involved in the racket.