The Kalamassery police arrested from Odisha the eighth accused in the case registered in connection with the seizure of nearly 2 kilograms of ganja from the Government Polytechnic College, Kalamassery, earlier this year.
Ajay Pradhan, 33, was arrested from the Maoist-infected Daringbadi village in Odisha in an operation with the help of the local police. A team comprising Kalamassery sub-inspectors Sebastian P. Chacko and Ranjith R.U. and civil police officers Mahin Abubacker, Shibu, and Arun Surendran nabbed the accused with the assistance of the Balikuda Sub-Divisional Police Officer and the Daringbadi police.
According to the police, the accused was part of a major racket engaged in large-scale ganja farming. He was a key link in smuggling ganja to Kerala both in wholesale and retail. He was produced before the Ernakulam Sessions Court and remanded on Monday.
Three final-year students of the Government Polytechnic College had been arrested from the men’s hostel in a major overnight raid carried out by the Kochi City police that lasted till the early hours of March 14, 2025.
Published – July 28, 2025 09:13 pm IST
