Mumbai: Inter-state ganja smuggling gang leader, his aide nabbed

Lakshmikant Ram Pradhan alias Lakshmibhai and Bidyadhar Brundavan Pradhan

Two individuals who had been evading the law for three years have been apprehended by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) Ghatkopar Unit. The accused, Lakshmikant Ram Pradhan alias Lakshmibhai, the leader of an inter-state Ganja smuggling gang, and one of his associates, Bidyadhar Brundavan Pradhan, were arrested on 9th December 2023 in Odisha, where they had been living covertly under false identities.

According to an insider source from the Ghatkopar ANC, "Lakshmikant, along with Bidyadhar and eight others, operated a gang involved in smuggling and selling Ganja in various parts of Mumbai, Thane, Bhivandi, Vasai, Virar, Miraroad, and Surat. Following the arrest of three gang members in 2021, Lakshmikant and Bidyadhar had fled Maharashtra and were hiding in different states to avoid capture."

He added, "Acting on a tip-off received on 8th December, a unit was dispatched to Bharampur, Odisha, leading to the successful arrest of Lakshmikant and Bidyadhar on 9th December within the jurisdiction of Golanthara Police Station. The operation, strategically planned in collaboration with local authorities, resulted in the apprehension of both individuals".

Another officer from the Ghatkopar ANC unit revealed, "Lakshmikant and Bidyadhar had been changing their identities and residing in Telangana, Hyderabad, Nepal, and Odisha since 2021. Both were presented in court, and police custody was granted until 20th December 2023. Lakshmibhai faces charges in four cases across different police stations, including two NDPS cases and two Arms Act cases. His associate, Vidyadhar Vrindavan Pradhan, is involved in three cases."

DCP Prakash Jadhav of ANC disclosed, "The investigation revealed that the absconding individuals were involved in bringing drugs from Orissa to distribute in Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar." He further explained that the arrested accused played a significant role in smuggling Ganja from Orissa. Laxmikant Ram Pradhan and Vidyadhar Vrindavan Pradhan had concealed themselves in Orissa, Telangana, and Hyderabad to avoid law enforcement.

In a related case, on 12th February 2021, the Ghatkopar Anti-Narcotic Cell arrested Aakash Subhash Yadav and Dineshkumar Sajivan Saroj for smuggling commercial-grade Ganja in a Tata truck with registration number MH48AY0893 in Vikroli. The unit seized a total of 1820 KG Ganja worth 3,60,00,000 from them. On 23rd June 2021, another gang member, Sandeep Bhau Satpute, was arrested for selling Ganja in Mumbai, Thane, Virar, and Palghar. A chargesheet was produced in the court on 10th October 2021, and all three individuals are currently in judicial custody. All three arrested are a part of the same gang that Lakshmikant runs making the total number of arrests to be five in this case.