Odisha Police intercepted a vehicle near Essar Chakk in Malkangiri district on Sunday and seized around 800 litres of chemicals and solvents used for the production of hashish oil, officials said.
The value of the seized ganja oil is approximately Rs 100 crore, as per reports.
Officials further said that 50 kg of marijuana and two litres of finished hashish oil were also seized from the vehicle, though the driver successfully evaded arrest and fled the scene.
Investigators believe the smugglers were planning to establish a permanent hashish oil manufacturing unit in the Chitrakonda area. However, intensified police surveillance forced them to pivot their strategy, leading them to outfit a vehicle as a mobile processing unit to maintain their illegal operations.
To evade police scrutiny, the smugglers utilized a fake registration number plate on the vehicle. Apart from the around 800 litres of chemicals and solvents used for making hashish oil, authorities also recovered specialized extraction equipment designed specifically for refining the psychotropic drugs.
Malkangiri Superintendent of Police, Vinodh Patil H, stated that multiple teams have been formed to track down the absconding driver and identify the other persons behind the sophisticated narcotics ring.
