The Cyber, Economic, and Narcotics (CEN) Department raided a house on Valmiki Street, Rupanagudi Road, Ballari, seizing marijuana worth ₹19.10 lakh. Two individuals, Waheed (38) from Ranithota and P. Chand Bhasha (40) from Rupanagudi Road were arrested, while four others remain at large. The police confiscated 19 kg of ganja stored illegally in the house.
The operation was based on a tip-off received by DSP Santosh Chavan of the Cybercrime Division. Acting on this information, a team led by Santhosh Chavan, including Inspector Ramakanta, PSI Valibasha, and staff members Suresha, Tipperudrappa, Sudhakar, Hanumanthar Reddy, K. Yelleshi, Venkatesh G., Manjunath, Sridhar, and Vijayakumar, conducted the raid.
District Superintendent of Police Ranjith Kumar Bandaru, addressing a press conference on Thursday, confirmed the arrests and the seizure. He highlighted that 18 individuals have been arrested and 13 cases registered in connection with ganja in the district, with a total of 75 kg of ganja seized so far. The police are actively creating awareness about cannabis and the NDPS Act in schools and colleges and are conducting inspections across various locations.
SP Ranjith Kumar Bandaru commended the team for their successful operation. Additional Superintendent of Police Naveen Kumar and other officials were also present during the briefing.