Assam  Police seized 177 kgs Ganja, four arrested

In a major development in the state’s continuing drug battle, Assam Police recovered a large quantity of cannabis (ganja) from an express train and arrested four people in connection in Assam’s Hojai district on Sunday.

Hojai Police authorities recovered a total of 177 kg cannabis from the Agartala-Madhya Pradesh Habibganj Rani Kamlapati Express train in two separate raids based on a tip from sources.

According to the Hojai Police Department, the seized cannabis was collected in two separate operations. The Hojai Police seized around 65 kg of cannabis from the train in the first operation, and after receiving information that more cannabis was being smuggled, they contacted the Nagaon Police and launched a joint operation at the Saparmukh Railway Station, where they recovered 112 kg cannabis from the same train.

The ganja was hidden in a box in a train coach's washroom by the smugglers.

According to accounts, the police had to bust the box open with cutting machines and hammers in order to extract the ganja.

Meanwhile, Uttam Kumar Chauhan of Kherani in West Karbianglong, Atul Chauhan, Karuna Nidhi Mishra, and Suraj Chauhan of Lanka have been identified as the four arrestees. All of them are currently being held in Hojai police custody and are being questioned about the incident

The four arrests were made while the train was stopped at Dhalpukhuri and Saparmukh stations in Hojai.