VARANASI, June 23 -- The Sonbhadra police on Monday busted an interstate cannabis smuggling racket and arrested six members of the gang near Chahelwa Baiju Baba Temple in Sukrit area under Robertsganj police station area in the district. A total of 8 quintals and 684 grams of illicit cannabis (ganja), which had been concealed among sacks of medicinal herbs, was seized. The contraband is estimated to be worth around Rs.80.60 lakh, police said. Besides, a DCM vehicle, a car, six mobile phones and Rs.6,040 in cash were recovered from their possession. The arrested accused have been identified as Ankit Singh (30), Rohit Kumar Singh (35), Siddharth Singh (23), Sohit Singh (23), and Devendra Singh (40), all residents of Sultanpur district, along with Suraj Kumar (28), a resident of Amethi district, police said. Superintendent of police Abhishek Verma said that during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, the Lucknow unit of Anti-Norcotics Task Force (ANTF) received a tip-off from a reliable informant that a large consignment of illicit cannabis was being transported from Odisha to Uttar Pradesh in a truck. The smugglers were allegedly using a separate four-wheeler to conduct reconnaissance and monitor police movements along the route. He added that acting on this information, a joint team comprising the ANTF Lucknow Unit and Sonbhadra police laid a blockade near the Chahelwa Baiju Baba Temple in Sukrit area under Robertsganj police station area. The ANTF and police intercepted and searched a car and a DCM truck. Following interrogation and legal formalities, the DCM vehicle was searched, leading to the recovery of a total of 8 quintals and 684 grams of illicit cannabis (ganja) concealed amidst sacks of medicinal herbs; the estimated value of the contraband is approximately Rs.80.60 lakh. Acting on the tip-off, a joint team of the ANTF Lucknow Unit and Sonbhadra police set up a checkpoint near Chahelwa Baiju Baba Temple in Sukrit and intercepted a car and a truck. A subsequent search of the truck led to the recovery of illicit cannabis, Verma said. He said six members of the gang were arrested and booked under various sections of the NDPS Act at Robertsganj police station. Further investigation is underway to identify other members and links of the interstate smuggling network. During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to sourcing cannabis from Odisha and supplying it to Sultanpur and nearby districts....