1 ganja smuggler dead, aide injured in road mishap while giving the slip to Excise raid team

Burla/Sonepur: An illegal cannabis (ganja) trader was killed on the spot and his aide sustained grievous injuries after a scooter by which the duo was traveling met with an accident while giving the slip to an Excise raid team at Ulunda locality in Subarnapur district, today.

The deceased man was identified as Pradip Mohanty (53) from Koushalya Vihar and his aide as Pramod Kumar Padhi (22) from Chhend, both under this police limits in Rourkela of Sundargarh.

According to an official source, the accused were smuggling cannabis in the scooter, which was on its way from Sambalpur to Sonepur. Sambalpur excise raid team got information from a reliable source that they (the accused) were carrying around 20 kilograms of the contraband item with them.

Swinging into action, based on the tip-off, the team personnel chased the duo. However, the accused tried to give the slip and move away by speeding the scooter. Later, the team informed another Excise team from Ulunda about it. The second team intercepted the duo leading to the incident.

“The speeding scooter lost its control and hit a stationery Excise vehicle engaged in the raid. The injured Pramod was rescued by the squad personnel and rushed to Burla Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR) and admitted to the Casualty Department of the health facility in critical condition for treatment,” a senior official in the squad Nitin Chandra Mandal expressed.

“Health condition of the injured is stable now,” the official added quoting hospital sources.