It appeared to be a legitimate business when a group of individuals registered with a leading e-commerce platform earlier this year to sell their products. Their hero product was the iconic Sambalpuri saree, known for its double Ikat tie and dye technique and symbolic motifs. Orders came in from various parts of the country, parcels were dispatched, and everything seemed normal until recently, when the Balangir police in Odisha received a tip-off regarding the contents being supplied under the guise of handloom sarees.
Arrests and Seizures
On Wednesday, police arrested seven men and seized 113 kg of ganja hidden in saree boxes that were en route to the nearest logistics center. According to police, two of the arrested individuals were masterminds of the operation, which exploited a loophole in the e-commerce business: the consignments were not being scanned for their contents before shipment.
The accused, most of whom are in their 30s, procured cannabis from the interior areas of the bordering Kandhamal district. They neatly packed the ganja, generated QR codes with the help of the e-commerce platform, and delivered the parcels to the logistics center in Balangir after receiving payment from buyers. Balangir Superintendent of Police Abilash G. stated:
“"The accused used this new modus operandi as the delivery partner had no way of knowing what was actually inside the sealed parcel. The present lot, which we have seized, was being sent to Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. They disguised ganja consignments as saree orders, allowing the contraband to move through the e-commerce platform without raising suspicion."
