Berhampur (Odisha), Feb 9 (PTI) A person was detained on Thursday after unaccounted cash of around Rs 18 lakh was recovered from his possession during a search operation against drug smuggling in Odisha's Ganjam district, an official said.

The unaccounted cash was recovered during the raid at a Jajpur-bound bus on Lanjipalli bypass road, he said.

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In a crackdown against ganja smuggling, sleuths of the intelligence and enforcement bureau wing of the excise department, Berhampur conducted the search operation at the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) bus and recovered the cash from the person who is a resident of Jajpur.

"Our personnel seized around Rs 18 lakh in cash from the passenger's bag. He was detained," said Damburudhar Khanda, Excise Deputy Commissioner, Berhampur.

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During the interrogation, the person claimed that he received the money from his groundnut business, the official said.

"We have handed over the investigation to the income tax authorities as the excise department does not deal with such financial matters," he said, adding that the special drive against smuggling of narcotics and drug peddling would continue.

(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)