Thane, Sep 3 (PTI) In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, police have arrested nine persons and seized ganja worth Rs 2.87 crore from a tempo at Bhiwandi town in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Tuesday.

The operation, conducted by Crime Branch Unit 2 of the Thane police, was carried out late on Monday night, he said.

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Acting on a tip-off, police set up a trap at Rajnoli Naka in Bhiwandi at around 12 am and intercepted a tempo heading towards Mumbai. Upon inspection, 553.6 kg of ganja was found concealed in the vehicle, which was operating with a fake registration plate, the official said.

The seized ganja worth Rs 2.87 crore was sourced from Odisha, he said.

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In all, the police arrested nine persons who were involved in bringing the contraband to Thane district, its transportation and distribution, said the official.

An FIR has been filed against them at the Kongaon police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)