133 Accused Arrested By STF In 2022, 75 Cases Detected

Bhubaneswar: The Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch has detected 75 cases till date in 2022 and have arrested 133 accused persons.

Out of the detected cases, 27 are Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases, 31 are Wildlife cases, three are Arms & Ammunitions cases, four are Fake Currency cases, five are cases related to Australian Coke/Hard Coke/Chromites/Coal, two are cases related to Codeine based cough syrup, two are Cruelty to Animal cases.

Among the arrested persons, one is from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, and three from West Bengal.

In the 27 NDPS cases, the STF has seized approximately 22 kilograms of brown sugar, over 2524 kilograms of ganja, 202 grams of cocaine, 517 grams of opium, and cash amounting to over Rs 65 lakh.

Movable and immovable properties worth more than Rs 12.85 crores of drug traffickers has been seixed and forfeited in NDPS cases which has been approved by competent authority, Kolkata.

Around 22 kilograms of brown sugar and 38 quintals of ganja has been destructed in designated incinerator after being certified by courts and following all due procedures and pollution guidelines.

In the wildlife cases, the STF has seized 14 leopard skins, one royal bengal tiger skin, one leopard skin, nine live pangolins, 22 kilograms of pangolin scale, 14 elephant tusks, two leopard teeth, 29 leopard claws, and 46 live wild parrots.

In the arms and ammunitions cases, the STF has seized 14 fire arms, 60 ammunitions, and eight magazines.

In fake currency cases, the STF has seized counterfeit notes worth Rs 47,43,100.

In cases related to Australian Coke/Hard Coke/Chromites/Coal, the STF has seized 338 tons of Hard Coke, 72 tons of Coal, 730 tons of Chromite, and 31 tons of Australian Coke.

In cases related to Codeine based cough syrup, 1920 bottles have been seized by the STF.

In cases related to cruelty to animals, 189 cattles have been rescued by the STF.

STF as a nodal agency also monitors and guides the district police in NDPS cases. The Odisha Police has seized over 1162 quintals of ganja, over 47 kilograms of brown sugar, and over 40,000 bottles of Codeine based cough syrup. Seizure of ganja by Odisha Police is one of the highest in the country.

Properties worth more than Rs 33 crores have been forfeited. This is the highest forfeiture of properties till date in NDPS cases.

The achievement of destruction/disposal of 658 quintals of seized ganja and 27 kilograms of brown sugar has been appreciated by the Orissa High Court.

A total of 23,724 acres of illegal cultivation of cannabis have been destroyed in the 2021-22 crop year. This is the highest destruction of illegal cultivation in the country.