Berhampur: In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, police claimed to have busted a racket using women to smuggle ganja in Odisha's Ganjam district and arrested six individuals in this connection on Thursday night. The accused, which include five women and a man, were nabbed from a passenger bus near College Chhak within Kotinada police limits while transporting the contraband. Around 63 kg ganja has been seized from their possession.

As per reports, Kotinada police received a tip-off on a drug-peddling nexus using women as 'safe carriers' to evade scrutiny by security personnel. After tracking the gang, cops nabbed them from a passenger bus heading from Aska to Kodala in the evening. Official sources informed that all accused were from Kandhamal district. Their identities are not yet disclosed. Probe is underway to ascertain the modalities and extent of the racket, they said. 

The arrest has sparked concern on growing number of women being strategically used as drug mules by organised cartels as they are less likely to be suspected and checked in public. 

Three days back, excise officials had raided a government bus in Kalahandi district and arrested one person with ganja stacked in three bags. The bus was heading from Mukhiguda to Visakhapatnam and had halted at Jaipatna when the raid was carried out. While two individuals were transporting the contraband, one was nabbed while the other managed to escape.

Following the seizure, excise ASI Narendra Minz had told mediapersons that they received a tip-off on two people in the bus were smuggling ganja to another State. One was arrested while another absconded, they had informed.