(MENAFN- IANS) Seraikela (Jharkhand), Oct 6 (IANS) In one of the biggest drug crackdowns in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district, police on Monday arrested three smugglers and seized brown sugar worth around Rs 40 lakh from the Adityapur Muslim settlement area, officials said.

A total of 207.91 grams of brown sugar was recovered during the operation, police added.

According to the police, this is the largest single seizure of narcotics in the district so far.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Mukesh Kumar Lunayat told reporters that the operation was carried out following a specific intelligence input. Acting on the tip-off, a special team led by SDPO Sameer Kumar Sawaiya conducted the raid and apprehended the three accused, he said.

The arrested smugglers have been identified as Shahbaz Khan (19), a local resident with three previous cases -- including one under the NDPS Act -- registered against him; Mohammad Samour alias Mohammad Aayan (19) of Chhattisgarh; and Rafiqul Islam (50) of Murshidabad, West Bengal.

SP Lunayat said the operation was part of a district-wide campaign against the narcotics trade, and warned that strict action will continue against those involved in the purchase or sale of banned substances.

The raiding team included DSP Sameer Kumar Sawaiya, SHO Vinod Tirkey, and several sub-inspectors and armed police personnel.

Meanwhile, in a related incident a day earlier, police in Jamshedpur's Mango area arrested two persons -- Baban Khan alias Sheikh Baban and Pawan Sahu -- while they were allegedly smuggling brown sugar. A total of 140 packets (18 grams) of the contraband were recovered from them.

During interrogation, the duo confessed to being engaged in the brown sugar trade for a long time. Police records show multiple cases are registered against them in Mango, Sitaramdera, and Ulidih police stations.

SP Lunayat said the series of arrests reflects the district police's intensified drive to dismantle narcotics networks operating in and around the industrial belt of Adityapur and Jamshedpur.

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