The operation was carried out under the Nagarnaar police station limits following a tip-off about two suspicious men waiting near the Dhanpunji Forest Check Post with travel bags. Police officials said the seized contraband is valued at approximately ₹5.84 lakh in the illegal market.

According to police, information was received on July 21 that two individuals carrying suspicious luggage were waiting for a bus near the forest check post. Acting on the input, a police team reached the location, surrounded the suspects and detained them for questioning.

The accused were identified as Lalit Kushulia and Biranchi Gorodia, both residents of Rayagada district in neighbouring Odisha.

During a search of their bags, police recovered 10 packets containing suspected ganja. The seized material weighed 11.673 kilograms after being measured on the spot.

Investigators said the accused were allegedly transporting the consignment from Odisha and planned to deliver it in Raipur before they were intercepted.

Police have registered a case under Section 20(b) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Both accused were arrested and later produced before a local court, which remanded them to judicial custody.

Officials said the seized narcotics have been sent for further legal procedures, while investigators are attempting to identify the source of the consignment and determine whether the accused were acting independently or were part of a larger interstate drug trafficking network.

The investigation is also expected to focus on the intended recipients of the consignment in Chhattisgarh and any possible links to organised narcotics supply chains operating across state borders.

Bastar has emerged as a sensitive transit corridor for narcotics smuggled from neighbouring states, particularly Odisha. Law enforcement agencies have intensified surveillance along interstate routes, forest check posts and transport corridors to curb the movement of illegal drugs.

Police officials noted that intelligence-based operations have resulted in several recent seizures, with authorities maintaining close coordination between district police units and neighbouring states to disrupt trafficking networks.

City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Sumit Kumar said strict action would continue against those involved in the illegal transportation and sale of narcotic substances. He added that police are maintaining constant vigilance over routes commonly used by smugglers and appealed to the public to report any suspicious activity related to drug trafficking.

The latest seizure is part of the ongoing crackdown on narcotics in the Bastar region, where authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts to prevent illegal substances from entering major urban centres across Chhattisgarh.