A 23-year-old man from Odisha was arrested by the Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force at Cherlapalli railway station for allegedly transporting over six kilograms of marijuana to Hyderabad for sale.
The accused, Antaryani Mahananda, a native of Sundergarh district in Odisha, was apprehended during a surprise checking drive on Monday. According to the police, Mahananda was found to be in possession of 6.096 kg of marijuana, estimated to be worth ₹3.04 lakh.
Mahananda, who works as a painter in Rourkela, allegedly decided to smuggle marijuana after learning that it could fetch higher profits in Hyderabad. He purchased the contraband from an unidentified person in Rayagada forest area at ₹5,000 per kg and packed it into two shoulder bags.
Mahananda boarded the Nagavali Express from Kesinga railway station on July 26 and reached Cherlapalli the following morning, where he was intercepted by the GRP and RPF teams during the checking drive. He was waiting for his cousin to pick him up at the time of his arrest.
A case has been registered under Sections 8(c) read with 20(b)(ii)(B) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Further investigation into the matter is currently underway.
