Madhya Pradesh Police dismantled an inter-state ganja smuggling operation in Satna district with the arrest of two individuals, including Anil Bagri, elder brother of State Minister for Urban Development and Housing Pratima Bagri. The breakthrough followed a late-night raid on Sunday at the residence of co-accused Pankaj Singh in Marahuan village under Rampur Baghelan police station limits.
Acting on precise intelligence, officers recovered more than 46 kilograms of ganja valued at over Rs 9 lakh concealed in sacks beneath a tin shed. Pankaj Singh was taken into custody immediately, and during interrogation revealed that Anil Bagri had personally delivered the consignment in an SUV on December 4, leading to the minister’s brother being tracked down and arrested the same night.
Both accused have been charged under stringent sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, produced before a local court on Monday, and remanded to judicial custody. Station in-charge Sandeep Chaube confirmed that Anil Bagri admitted to transporting the contraband on the instructions of his brother-in-law Shailendra Singh alias Shibbu, who is presently incarcerated in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda jail following a recent ganja smuggling arrest.
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Investigators have established that Shailendra Singh, a repeat offender previously detained in September 2024 for cough syrup smuggling in Satna, remains the alleged mastermind. Police plan to secure a production warrant to bring him from Banda for detailed questioning, while preliminary findings indicate the seized ganja originated from Beohari in neighbouring Shahdol district with possible supply chains extending into Chhattisgarh.
The high-profile arrest has triggered political ripples, placing the ruling BJP under scrutiny over the involvement of a cabinet minister’s family member in serious narcotic trafficking allegations as authorities vow to pursue all leads to dismantle the entire network.
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