Villagers kill four in Odisha for smuggling cannabis

A mob in a village in Odisha killed four people and burnt their vehicles after they were found to be smuggling cannabis, police said.

The incident took place near Balia village in Koraput district, about 550 km from here, when the group of 10 suspected smugglers were on their way to Chhattisgarh with their cannabis consignment in four vehicles.

Over 100 villagers intercepted and attacked them, Inspector General of Police Yashwant Jethwa told IANS. They also burnt their vehicles, he said.

While four of the suspected smugglers - aged 30-35 years - died on the spot, six managed to survive. Police arrested them and seized more than a quintal of cannabis from their possession.

Police also recovered the bodies of the dead smugglers which were found on a road and detained 70 villagers for questioning, he said.