Mangawan police in Rewa district took custody of alleged ganja smuggler Sanjay Patel on a one-day police remand granted by a court.[1][2] He is described as the main accused in the case of freeing ganja smuggler Aditya Mishra from Odisha police custody in an exchange of gunfire.[1][2] Sidhi police had earlier arrested Sanjay Patel in Prayagraj before Mangawan station police obtained him on remand.[1][2]

Mangawan police station had more than two earlier ganja trafficking cases registered against him, and police said he had been on the run in them for a long time.[1][2] Officers are questioning him about the ganja smuggling network, the earlier cases and his links to other suspects.[1]

Police sources said the questioning had already produced significant information about the smuggling network.[1] Investigators are trying to establish who belonged to the network, where the ganja was supplied from and which areas it was sent to.[1] Mangawan station house officer Pushpendra Mishra said several earlier NDPS Act cases were registered against the accused and that he was being questioned in the related cases after the court granted remand.[1] Police said the interrogation could give them important leads on the ganja smuggling network.[1]

The investigation now extends beyond the old cases to linking his contacts and the wider smuggling network, and police may examine other suspects’ roles based on the questioning.[1]