LUCKNOW, April 5 -- Be it public transport like an auto-rickshaw, or a private car, drug peddlers in the state capital are using different tricks to dodge the police and sell marijuana.

On March 4, the Madiaon police arrested a 42-year-old property dealer, Pankaj Verma, who was carrying 21.200 kgs of marijuana in his car. Madiaon inspector in-charge, Shiva Nand Mishra said that Verma, a resident of Faizullaganj, Madiaon, was arrested during a vehicle-checking drive near Maurya market.

"We were surprised as the accused doesn't have any history of drug peddling. His late father, Raj Kumar Verma, was a secretariat employee, and he was into property dealing business at least for the past 15 years, but the sudden loss in the business pushed ...