New funda of ganja money trail in Odisha! Mafia use bank accounts of locals to make payments

Koraput police uncovered an alleged new financial method being used by ganja traffickers, with bank accounts opened in the names of local youths and traders reportedly being used to route payments to cannabis growers, police sources said on Tuesday. Also Read: Rs 225 Cr hashish oil, ganja seized in Odisha in major crackdown Instead of dealing directly in cash, the alleged network is reportedly depositing money into accounts belonging to people in rural areas and paying account holders a commission for facilitating transactions. Police suspect that money from out-of-state operators is being transferred through these accounts before reaching ganja growers. One such case involves K. Ramesh, a cloth trader from Padua area of Koraput. More than Rs 90 lakh was allegedly credited to his bank account. Police investigations found that money had previously been transferred to Ramesh’s account from the account of Kerala resident Harekrushna, who was arrested in connection with the alleged production and trade of hashish oil. The money was reportedly intended for payments to ganja growers, with Ramesh allegedly receiving a commission of Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000. The investigation has also focused on several young people in Paraja Badapada panchayat area whose bank accounts allegedly received suspicious transactions. It is said that some others are also being encouraged to open new accounts, with commissions of Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000 offered for transactions. Following the money trail, Koraput police have arrested three farmers and placed several bank accounts under scrutiny. The development comes after police seized hashish oil allegedly worth around Rs 200 crore in the Padua area and arrested seven people, including Kerala-based alleged mastermind Harekrushna. Police also recently destroyed around 12,000 cannabis plants cultivated across nearly 10 acres. The latest findings have raised concerns over the depth of the alleged ganja network and the involvement of rural youths as financial intermediaries. Police now face the challenge of tracing the wider money trail while determining the role of individuals whose accounts were allegedly used in the transactions. “Local mastermind Ishwar Bonda was previously arrested. Another key accused named K. Ramesh, through whose bank account crores of rupees were being transacted, has also been arrested. The syndicate had been using several other accounts for the illegal activity, the investigation of which is underway,” Koraput SP, Rohit Verma, told OTV.