Mahasamund police arrested 501 people in 177 ganja-trafficking cases between 1 January and 18 October 2026 under Operation Nishchay, a named police drive, and said 70 more accused were still absconding.[1] Of those held, police counted 289 as transporters.[1] In what they called an end-to-end investigation, officers arrested 145 accused in Odisha on the supply side and 67 on the onward side.[1] The largest groups by home state among those arrested were 162 from Odisha, 138 from Chhattisgarh, 103 from Maharashtra, 73 from Madhya Pradesh and 54 from Uttar Pradesh.[1]

Police said they seized about 10,000 kilograms of ganja, cannabis, which they valued at about Rs 50 crore.[1] They also seized vehicles used to move the drug, valued at about Rs 10 crore, including buses, trucks, pick-ups, ambulances and courier vans.[1] Investigators said the consignments were brought from Odisha and sent on to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.[1] Loads were hidden under fruit, in chambers inside containers, in ambulances, in vegetable vehicles and among packers-and-movers goods.[1]

Mahasamund police said the campaign would continue in order to break the network, and that they were preparing legal action against movable and immovable property bought with the proceeds.[1]

Mahasamund police arrested two alleged suppliers from Odisha while investigating an earlier 225-kg seizure under Operation Nishchay.[2] The two were arrested on 27 October 2026 and brought to Mahasamund.[2]