Berhampur: The sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of R Udayagiri in Gajapati district, Rakesh Kumar Sahoo, will be awarded the DGP Disc for his outstanding efforts in curbing narcotics smuggling. State director-general of police (DGP) Y B Khurania announced this on Monday.Under the leadership of Sahoo, an IPS officer of the 2023-batch, a record-breaking total of 17,249 kg (over 17 tonnes) of ganja has been seized within the jurisdiction of two police stations, Adava (11,491 kg) and R Udayagiri (5,758 kg). The market value of the contraband seized in past four months was over Rs 17 crore.“This marks the highest-ever narcotic seizure in the history of Gajapati, reflecting exemplary policing and a strong commitment to the Nisha-mukta Odisha,” said DGP on his X handle.Sahoo said they have continued to crack down the illegal storage and trafficking of drugs in the area. “On Sunday, we seized 413 kg ganja from Manikpur and Dalimbapur areas. The value of seized ganja was around Rs 40 lakh,” he said. The contraband was concealed in the hilltop and underground dumps by traffickers. They stored the ganja for illegal transportation to other places in their convenient period, said police.The DGP said no trafficker was arrested in this connection, as nobody claimed the contraband.
