Cuttack: Sleuths of the central excise department have busted a racket that periodically smuggled in narcotic substances such as bhang from Bihar by arresting two persons and seizing over 400 quintals of the contraband.

The trade thrived on the rail route between the two states. The arrested duo are Arjun Nayak, 45, and 43-year-old Karunakar Das - both from Nehrupalli area here.

A source said the department's intelligence wing received a tip-off about the narcotics finding its way into the city through carriers in trains. These carriers were travelling as passengers with air bags and getting down at Cuttack.

A special squad of central excise officials laid a trap at the station on Saturday night to keep a watch on passengers. On Sunday morning, the squad members spotted six people getting down with air bags and moving about surreptitiously. Some of them managed to escape when they were accosted, but the cops nabbed Nayak and Das.

"Both were arrested and eight air bags containing 410 kg of bhang were seized," central excise (intelligence) inspector Amarendra Kumar Jena said.

Investigations indicated that they procured the contraband from the narcotic mafia in Begusarai and Bhagalpur and smuggled those into the city. They allegedly sold the bhang at Rs 180 to Rs 200 per kg after procuring it for Rs 35 per kg, an excise official said.