Jharsuguda Police arrest four accused under Operation NETRA, Seize 6.36g Brown Sugar, Phones, Cash, Bike
Jharsuguda : Acting on specific intelligence under Operation NETRA, Jharsuguda police on Friday busted an inter-state drug trafficking racket and seized 6.36 grams of brown sugar/heroin from different locations in the town, police said on Saturday
Polie identified the accused as Ananta Kumar Panda (52) resident of BTM Colony, Mantu Dash (31), a resident of Purunabasti Bandh Pada, both from Jharsuguda, while the prime accused is Manjay alias Anurag Singh (35), a resident of Ara Town of Bihar, presently living at Bijunagar, Jharsuguda and Jitu alias Abinash Kumar (33) ,a resident of Ghousganj, under Bhojpur, Bihar.
According to investigators, the prime accused, Manjay alias Anurag Singh (35), a native of Ara in Bihar’s Bhojpur district, was staying in a rented house at Biju Nagar in Jharsuguda. He allegedly procured brown sugar/heroin along with other stimulants from Jitu alias Abinash Kumar (33) of Ghousganj in Bihar and sold the drugs locally with the help of his associates Ananta Kumar Panda (52) and Mantu Dash (31) for monetary gain.
Police said a coordinated surveillance and intelligence-led operation was carried out on January 30, leading to the arrest of four persons allegedly involved in procuring and selling the contraband. The accused have been booked under Jharsuguda Police Station Case No. 52 dated January 30, 2026, under Section 21(b) of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is underway.
During the operation, police seized 6.36 grams of brown sugar/heroin, white powder and stone-like substances used as stimulants, four mobile phones, a battery-operated weighing scale, a black mortar and pestle, Rs 2,770 in cash, a Hero Passion Pro motorcycle, packing materials including papers, cello tapes and polythene pouches, and a backpack.
Police said efforts are on to identify and apprehend other members of the network.
