Raipur: Chhattisgarh police on Wednesday arrested three persons allegedly in possession of 210 kilograms of cannabis, worth Rs 10.50 lakh, was seized in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh.

Mahasamund district superintendent of police Prafull Kumar Thakur said that the arrested accused have been identified Rajendra Kumar Sharma (40) of Baharampur in Odisha, Vikas Meena (24), resident of Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh and Pramod Sharma (42), who hails from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.

The action was taken on Saturday late evening based on a tip-off. There was information that the contraband was being transported to Chhattisgarh from Odisha via Mahasamund through national highway (NH) number-53.

After getting the information, local police led Saraipali SDOP Vikas Patle and Singhora in-charge station head officer (SHO) sub inspector Chandrakant Sahu swung into action.

A truck, bearing registration number MP-13, GB-0342 was intercepted during the checking of vehicles in front of Singhora police station and 105 packets of cannabis, each one weighing 1 kg, were seized from it. Later, three accused were arrested.

The cannabis was packed in gunny bags that were concealed under the plastic bags used in carrying fodder, an animal feed in the truck. Police seized mobile phones, cash and the truck from their possession. 

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the cannabis amounting of Rs 10.50 lakh, was being transported to Raipur for its supply to various places in the state capital.

A case has been registered in this connection under section 20 (B) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and further investigation into the matter is underway.