Ganja smugglers run over police manning toll plaza in Andhra

Two police constables were injured when a car allegedly carrying Ganja sped through a toll plaza in Kakinada. The driver escaped but was later apprehended

Amaravati: A car, in which Ganja was being allegedly smuggled, ran over policemen at a toll plaza in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada district. Two police constables were injured in the incident that occurred at Krishnavaram toll plaza in Kirlampudi mandal in the early hours of Thursday.

As the car approached the toll plaza, police personnel deployed there for checking signalled the vehicle to stop.

---

The policemen were gathering details from the driver of the vehicle coming from Visakhapatnam and heading towards Rajamahendravaram. The driver pretended to cooperate but suddenly accelerated, hitting two police constables.

Lovaraju, a constable of Kirlampudi Police Station and another constable who were in front of the vehicle were injured in the incident. They were rushed to a hospital. Alert policemen then chased the car.

After travelling some distance the accused left the car at Rajanagaram and escaped. Police seized the car and reportedly found Ganja in it. The accused was later apprehended at Jeelugumilli in West Godavari district.

The car with Uttar Pradesh registration number was allegedly transporting Ganja from Visakhapatnam. The police have registered a case and took up an investigation. The identity of the accused and other details were not known.

Ganja is cultivated in some pockets of Visakhapatnam and other districts in north coastal Andhra and neighbouring Odisha. In recent months, several peddlers were arrested in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana while transporting Ganja to other States.

Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Andhra Pradesh has been taking steps to check Ganja smuggling. It recently held a coordination meeting with the Odisha police to discuss strategies to combat the smuggling of narcotics.

They also discussed strategies for eradicating ganja cultivation at its source, including the use of advanced satellite imagery and drone technology to identify cultivation areas and plan pre-emptive raids during critical cultivation months.

The meeting discussed targeting key individuals involved in cultivation and distribution while promoting alternative crops and sustainable livelihoods to facilitate a transition away from Ganja cultivation.