Kotwali police in Katni arrested a 40-year-old man and seized 2.620 kg of ganja from him near Gatarghat bridge on 5 November 2026.[1] Officers patrolling for the Dhanteras and Diwali festivals spotted the man sitting behind a wall in a deserted spot near the bridge, and he tried to run with his bag when he saw the police staff approaching.[1] The team surrounded him and caught him, police said.[1]

A search of his white, yellow and black bag found a packet wrapped in khaki tape, and inside it, in a green plastic sheet, stem-like cannabis, known in Hindi as ganja.[1] Police weighed the drug before independent witnesses and it came to 2.620 kg in total, which police valued at about 30,000 rupees.[1] Officers seized the ganja and detained the man, registering crime number 1267/26 at Kotwali police station under sections 8 and 20 of the NDPS Act, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.[1]

The arrest came under a 15-day state-level special anti-narcotics campaign ordered by Katni district police chief Abhinay Vishwakarma.[1] The operation was led by Kotwali station house officer Rakhi Pandey, with the bus stand outpost in-charge Dipu Kushwaha and other personnel credited.[1] Inspector Pandey said Kotwali police were acting continuously against people involved in the sale and trafficking of illegal drugs, with the campaign aimed at curbing the drug trade and protecting young people from it.[2]