Who Were the Three Arrested in Puri for Drug Trafficking?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Three individuals arrested for drug trafficking in Puri.
- 170 grams of brown sugar and ₹1.6 lakh in cash seized.
- Operation led by special police squad based on intelligence.
- Confiscated items included motorcycles and a knife.
- Police aim to make Puri a drug-free district.
Puri, Aug 30 (NationPress) The Special Squad of the police in Odisha's Puri apprehended three individuals and confiscated approximately 170 grams of brown sugar, ₹1.6 lakh in cash, along with three two-wheelers during a raid in the holy city, as reported by the police on Saturday.
Following a tip-off, law enforcement executed a raid in the Chandanpur area on Friday evening after receiving intel regarding drug distribution by the suspects.
The individuals arrested have been named as Pradeep Kumar Pradhan, Litu Pradhan, and Niranjan Parida.
Puri's Superintendent of Police (SP), Pratik Singh, stated that this operation marks a significant achievement in the ongoing anti-drug efforts by the police.
"These arrests stem from our targeted, intelligence-driven operations," SP Singh noted.
Singh elaborated that the suspects were caught in the act of distributing the brown sugar.
Authorities seized 170 grams of the illicit substance valued at ₹16 lakh, along with two motorcycles, a scooter, and three mobile phones found in their possession, as added by the SP.
The confiscation also included a small knife.
The police recovered ₹1.6 lakh in cash from the accused, believed to be profits from drug sales.
The raid was led by the Chandrapur police, with the SP mentioning that the suspects confessed to working for two infamous local drug dealers who are currently on the run.
Efforts are ongoing to capture the principal suspects involved in the drug trafficking.
The seized contraband and other materials were secured in the presence of an executive magistrate and two independent witnesses.
The suspects will be presented in court on Saturday as investigations continue to reveal further information about the drug supply network.
"The Puri Police have made considerable progress as part of their continuous anti-drug initiative. Responding to intelligence reports regarding interstate drug traffickers, the Special Squad, alongside the SDPO Sadar team and the Chandanpur Inspector-in-Charge, coordinated efforts to track the suspects. Once the accused arrived to deliver the drugs, they were arrested by our team," SP Singh stated while addressing the media.
The SP added that measures are being heightened to ensure Puri becomes a drug-free district, with more operations planned for the future.