Janugunda Mohankrishna (36) of Anantapur, an Armed Reserve constable now placed under suspension and sent to Vacancy Reserve, was among four persons arrested on charges of smuggling 1.435 kg of liquid ganja valued at ₹7.17 lakh, which has since been seized in Puttur.
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Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Anantapur range) M. Ravi Prakash told the media while producing the accused here on Wednesday that Mohankrishna was an accused in two similar cases and was arrested by the Hyderabad police last month. However, he reportedly continued the illegal activities after coming out of prison.
Apart from booking him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the police would also initiate departmental action against him, M r. Prakaash said.
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Early on Wednesday, a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Puttur) T.D. Yashwanth rounded up R. Prashanth (29) of Uthukota town and N. Lokesh (29) of Ponnai, both in Tiruvallur district bordering Tamil Nadu, while they were allegedly trying to sell the ganja at Puttur church compound.
Ganji Ajay Kumar (29) of Anantapur was also arrested on charges of complicity. Liquid ganja is learnt to be a new modus operandi by the smugglers, in view of the stepped up surveillance by the department on the movement of dry ganja. Two motorcycles worth ₹1 lakh were also seized from the accused.
The Tirupati region always had the notoriety of being the transit point in smuggling ganja from Visakhapatnam Agency area to either Chennai or Bengaluru. As the illegal transportation of dry ganja involves logistical hassles as it occupies a lot of space, the gangs involved in the business have apparently taken to liquid ganja for convenience.