AP: Huge loads of ganja seized, being transported hidden under coconuts

Kakinada, Aug 18 (UNI) The Kakinada sub divisional police, acting on intelligence inputs received from the SP Ravindranath Babu, on Wednesday intercepted a lorry loaded with coconuts near Thatiparty Morta Bus shelter on the national highway -216 in early hours of Wednesday and seized 1424 kgs of ganja concealed under coconuts.
Three smugglers were arrested but the kingpin of the racket and lorry driver managed to escape in the darkness. Giving out the details of the arrests at a press conference at Gollaprolu police station in the evening, the sub divisional police officer V Bhimarao said that the value of the ganja seized was around Rs 28.50 lakhs .
The lorry along with 7500 coconuts, two cell phones and cash worth Rs 1500 was seized from the smugglers, he said.
Those arrested were identified as Motaparty Nagaraju (44), Gudivada, Bhupathi Durgaprasad (40), Gudivada and Thillari Venkateswerarao (47)—all from Krishna district.
The prime accused Gangadhar and the driver Rajasekhar were at large and a hunt is on to catch them, the SDPO said.
Giving credit to SP Ravindranath Babu, he said, the senior police officer led by example and apart from giving strict instructions to the police officers and men, the SP himself was keeping a strict vigil on the menace of ganja smuggling.
The police were therefore keeping an eye on the movement of vehicles on the national highways round the clock. The accused in this case procured the ganja from the neighbouring Visakhapatnam agency and were transporting the same to its destination in Maharashtra state .
The accused would be sent to judicial remand, he added.
SP Ravindranath Babu complimented the police team comprising DSP Bhimarao, Special branch DSPs Ambika Prasad, Mogili Venkateswerarao, Pithapuram circle inspector YRK Srinivas and Gollaprolu sub inspector Ramalingeswerarao for seizing the huge cache of ganja and announced rewards for the good work done.