The Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) jointly busted an interstate ganja trafficking racket operating between Odisha and Karnataka, and arrested two persons at Secunderabad Railway Station on Thursday (May 28), seizing 36.374 kg of dry ganja worth around ₹18.18 lakh from their possession.

The arrested persons were identified as Sudhanshu Kumar, 22, a data engineer employed with Barclays in Pune and originally from Nanded district in Maharashtra, and Suman Kumar, 28, who runs a general store and is a native of Khagaria district in Bihar, said an officer from the GRP.

According to the police, the duo was working for interstate ganja peddlers identified as Rohit Sani Gorakhe and Abhay, both natives of Maharashtra, who are currently absconding.

Investigators said Rohit and Abhay were involved in transporting the banned substance from Odisha to various parts of the country and had allegedly recruited Sudhanshu and Suman by offering them ₹10,000 per trip.

“On May 25, the accused boarded the Nagawali Express from Odisha carrying marijuana packets concealed inside a trolley suitcase and a backpack. Sudhanshu was allegedly carrying a suitcase containing 27 packets, while Suman was carrying a backpack containing eight packets,” the officer said.

However, when the train reached Charlapally Railway Station on May 26, the two transporters reportedly noticed police personnel conducting checks onboard and immediately got down from the train before fleeing from the station. Police said they later stayed at a lodge for two days after losing contact with the main accused.

On Thursday (May 28) afternoon, the duo arrived at Secunderabad railway station with the bags to continue their journey to Wadi by Bhavnagar Express. During surprise checks conducted jointly by GRP and RPF personnel at around 2.30 p.m., the suspects were intercepted and questioned.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to possessing the contraband, following which police seized it from their luggage.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. Efforts are underway to trace the absconding accused.