NCB seizes 500 kg ganja from truck in Nagpur, arrests three

The Mumbai zone unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has taken major action against drug trafficking in Nagpur, seizing about 500 kg of ganja from a truck. The consignment was being brought to Nagpur from Sambalpur in Odisha. The NCB stopped the truck early on Sunday near Mahadev Dhaba on the Outer Ring Road in the Hudkeshwar area.

Three people have been arrested. They include the main accused, S.A.S. Yusuf alias Rajabhai, who was to receive the consignment in Nagpur. R.P. Goldar and A. Sarkar were also arrested. The action is said to have exposed a large ganja trafficking network operating in Nagpur.

The NCB had prior intelligence that two smugglers from West Bengal would reach Nagpur with a large consignment of ganja from Sambalpur. The goods were to be handed over to the main receiver in Nagpur, S.A.S. Yusuf. Officials then stepped up surveillance in the city and tracked a suspicious truck. The truck reached Hudkeshwar via the Nagpur-Bhandara route, where it was stopped.

When the search began, the smugglers' ploy came to light. The truck was loaded with steel pipes meant for Indore, and packets of ganja had been hidden among them. About 500 kg of ganja was recovered in the search.

NCB questioning revealed that Yusuf alias Rajabhai has been involved in drug trafficking for about four to five years. It has been learnt that cases under the NDPS Act have been registered against him earlier. According to the investigating agency, the accused lived in Nagpur and was linked to the network that received and further supplied ganja consignments.

According to the agency, the smugglers repeatedly changed their routes and methods of carrying goods to evade the police and investigating agencies. Instead of direct, common routes, they used long and unexpected ones. Loading a truck with items such as steel pipes and hiding ganja among them is also said to be part of this network's strategy.

The NCB is now interrogating the arrested accused. The aim is to identify others linked to the ganja supply, including receivers and associates. Officials suspect that more names in the network of supply, receiving and onward delivery may emerge after the questioning. Further investigation in the case is continuing.

According to the NCB, this is another major action against ganja trafficking in Nagpur and surrounding areas in 2026. On April 11, 209.85 kg of ganja was seized in Nagpur and four accused, including two receivers, were arrested. On May 22, 702 kg of ganja was recovered in Gondia district and two smugglers were arrested. On June 30, 245 kg of ganja was seized in Bhandara district and two smugglers were arrested. On October 4, this 500 kg consignment was recovered in Nagpur and three smugglers were arrested.