Mysuru: The City Crime Branch (CCB) Police yesterday arrested a ganja peddler and have seized 14.150-kg of the narcotic substance worth about Rs. 4.50 lakh from him.

The arrested peddler is 54-year-old Srinivas alias Seenappa alias Ganja Seena, a resident of Pushpapura village, Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district.

Following a tip off that narcotic substance was being transported in a private car from Bengaluru side to Mysuru, the CCB Police, stopped a car near Manipal Hospital Junction at about 3.45 am yesterday and on inspecting the vehicle, the Police found the narcotic substance weighing 14.150-kg valued at about Rs. 4.5 lakh and seized it besides arresting Srinivas. A case has been registered at Narasimharaja (NR) Police Station.

Srinivas is a habitual ganja peddler and has a total of 12 cases (Bengaluru district – 4, Mysuru – 6, Begur in Chamarajanagar district – 1 and Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh – 1) registered against him under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act since 2011.

The accused had gone absconding and used to frequently change his locations from Odisha, Ajmer, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh and non-bailable warrants were issued against him by a Court in eight cases. During interrogation, the Cops learnt that his two sons — Suresh and Nandeesh — have four NDPS cases registered against them.

City Police Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and CCB Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mohammed Shariff Rawther guided Inspector Shabbir Hussain, Sub-Inspector K. Lepaksha and staff Ramaswamy, Madhukumar and Prakash Rathod in the nabbing and seizing operation.

Meanwhile, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar said that the drive against drugs being conducted by the City Police to make Mysuru drugs-free city will be intensified and legal action will be initiated against the accused.