Police interrogate jailed accused to track ganja kingpins

The city police have launched a renewed drive against ganja trafficking by interrogating accused individuals held in prison, aiming to identify the masterminds and key operators behind the smuggling network.

Police Commissioner Shankha Brata Bagchi said that special teams, after obtaining legal permissions, were visiting the Adavivaram Central Prison to question those arrested in cases related to the transportation and sale of ganja. The exercise focuses on gathering details about the source of consignments, supply routes, financiers, handlers, and intended recipients.

Officials said that around 50 people arrested as couriers in ganja cases are currently in jail. Of these, 23 have already been examined, and the remaining accused will be questioned in phases once the required approvals are secured. Based on information obtained so far, the police have drawn up plans to trace higher-level operatives.

Police sources indicated that inmates were being encouraged to cooperate, with the assurance that those providing credible and comprehensive information could be considered for approver status, subject to due legal process.

Mr. Bagchi noted that despite stepped-up enforcement measures, including drone-based identification of hotspots, intensified checks on buses arriving from Odisha, coordination with the Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force, and inspections using sniffer dogs, ganja movement had not been fully curbed. He added that 226 ganja-related cases were registered last year.

The Commissioner expressed hope that leads obtained from the accused would help dismantle the trafficking chain at its roots in Visakhapatnam.