Odisha: Ward member arrested for running illegal ganja trade  

Deogarh: Excise officials today arrested a Ward member of Riamala Panchayat in Deogarh district on charges of running illegal ganja trade and seized 3.7 kgs cannabis from his possession.

Acting on a tip-off, a mobile squad of Deogarh Excise unit raided the house of Balaram Behera, a member of Ward-7 of Riamala Panchayat at around 7 AM today. The officials caught him red-handed while he was coming from the nearby bus stand to his house with a sack containing ganja.

The team arrested Behera and took him to Excise office for interrogation. Behera was operating the ganja racket from his house, said an official.