Aurangabad: Police arrested four drug traffickers and seized 83.969kg of ganja in a major anti-narcotics operation near Barun in Aurangabad district on Friday night.Superintendent of Police Upendra Nath Verma said Barun police received a tip-off around 7.35pm that a consignment of narcotics was to be traded near Balbu Gupta Hotel. Acting on the input, a special team led by the SDPO (Sadar-I) was formed to verify the information and conduct a raid.During surveillance, the team intercepted a four-wheeler on the Aurangabad-Dehri road. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 83.969kg of ganja, following which all four occupants were arrested.The SP said the accused allegedly admitted their involvement during interrogation and are being sent to judicial custody. During the investigation, police also recovered another four-wheeler suspected to be linked to the smuggling racket near Bharua Bridge under the Barun police station area.An FIR has been registered at Barun police station under relevant provisions of the law, and further investigation is underway.The arrested accused were identified as Manoj Kumar (26) of Hariharganj in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, and Dheeraj Kumar Gupta (47), Suresh Singh (60) and Prince Kumar (22), all residents of Dehri New Diliya.Police also seized five cellphones during the operation. Investigators are examining the phones to identify other members of the network and trace the source and destination of the consignment.
