Ghaziabad, 20 September (HS). Crime Branch Police on Friday arrested an interstate ganja smuggler with ganja worth Rs 55 lakhs from near Mannadham railway gate. The arrested ganja smuggler was bringing ganja from Orissa state in a canter vehicle to supply it to Delhi, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh. A total of 106 kg 216 grams of illegal ganja was recovered from his possession. The arrested accused Virendra alias Bablu is a resident of village Paroli, police station Jasrana, district Firozabad.
ADCP Crime Branch Sachidanand said that on interrogation Bablu told that he has studied till 10th standard and his family condition was very bad. That is why he left his studies and learned driving and started driving trucks and Isar canters, with which he used to run his house. He used to supply glass items from Firozabad to Orissa, but he did not get much profit in this vehicle driving job. Meanwhile, he came in contact with Ravi Verma, resident of Bhaugaon district-Mainpuri, who smuggles and gets ganja smuggled from Orissa state. He met Ravi Verma in Orissa itself.
Ravi Verma told Virendra that there was a lot of profit in smuggling ganja from Orissa and supplying it to Western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Punjab and Haryana, so he too started smuggling ganja from Orissa along with Ravi Verma. Ravi Verma provided money and vehicles for smuggling ganja. After smuggling ganja from Orissa, he received Rs. 500 per kilogram for each trip from Ravi Verma. Virendra alias Bablu got involved in the crime of drug smuggling along with Ravi Verma and started supplying ganja as per demand.
On interrogation, the accused also told that he loads ganja from Orissa in the canter vehicle and then moves on with junk, brooms, vegetable crates, etc. Before loading ganja from Orissa and leaving, these people decide among themselves as to where and on which day the goods are to be unloaded and they switch off their phones there itself and do not contact anyone until the smuggled ganja is not delivered to the decided destination. The arrested accused has been involved in ganja smuggling for the last about 02 years. There is manifold profit in ganja smuggling, from which he fulfils his household expenses and his hobbies.