According to STF officials, the operation was launched on Wednesday after STF SP Rajesh Singh Bhadoria received specific intelligence about a truck carrying marijuana from Odisha to Madhya Pradesh via Chhattisgarh. The information was shared with STF Director General Pankaj Srivastava, following which two teams were formed and surveillance was intensified along the inter-state border.
A Jabalpur-based STF team led by DSP Santosh Tiwari tracked the suspected truck near Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, and began pursuit. The vehicle, bearing registration JH 02 BL 7103, appeared empty from the rear—an apparent attempt to mislead police. The driver diverted onto village routes and forest roads, but the STF teams continued the chase as the truck crossed into Madhya Pradesh.
The vehicle was finally intercepted in the Jaithari police station area of Anuppur district, where the STF blocked the road using a JCB machine. A search of the truck led to the discovery of a concealed iron-sheet compartment behind the driver’s cabin, from which the contraband was recovered.
The arrested accused were identified as Ankit Vishwakarma of Sidhi and Dhananjay Singh Patel of Satna. During questioning, they claimed the truck was returning empty from Jharkhand, but their responses raised suspicion. They later admitted the vehicle had been specially modified for smuggling, drawing inspiration from the film Pushpa.
Investigators said the consignment was intended for New Year distribution across the Mahakaushal, Bundelkhand, and Vindhya regions, with Maihar as a dumping point. The STF is now searching for the truck owner and other members of the trafficking network.
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