Bhubaneswar, Sept 2: In a major breakthrough under the ongoing anti-drug initiative Operation Prahar, the Police Commissionerate of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack arrested three individuals, including a woman, for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking on Monday.
The arrested suspects have been identified as SK Masoom, Chhotu Mandal, and Savitri Behera.
During the operation, police seized 45 grams of brown sugar, a locally-made firearm (6.75 mm), four rounds of live ammunition, and several other incriminating items. Additionally, 110 packets of ganja were recovered.
Masoom and Mandal were apprehended by the Infocity Police and are believed to be significant drug suppliers in the region. Masoom has eight prior criminal cases against him, while Mandal has been linked to three. In a separate operation, Savitri Behera was arrested near a school in Nayapalli while carrying a substantial quantity of ganja.
S. Dev Datta Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, explained that Operation Prahar was launched under the guidance of Odisha's DGP Yogesh Bahadur Khurania to combat the increasing drug abuse, particularly among youth and students. The initiative, which is being carried out statewide, has received support from the Narcotics Control Bureau, Excise Department, and Special Task Force.
“We are targeting not only the immediate culprits but the entire drug supply chain, from peddlers to suppliers and their grassroots-level connections,” Singh said during a media briefing.
The Commissionerate Police assured that such coordinated crackdowns will continue, with the goal of making the city drug-free.
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