21 October 2026
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

This IRS Officer Is Fighting Against Drugs 

Indian Masterminds Stories

Once struggling with low groundwater levels, woes of Melawas village in Rajasthan’s Pali district are now over. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Ghanshyam Soni, an IRS officer (custom and central excise), this village can give many towns competition when it comes to development and growth. With proper roads, solar lights, CCTV cameras, and rainwater harvesting, Melawas is a model village and has won many awards for Mr. Soni. 

After fast-tracking his village development, he is on war-footing against drugs.  Mr. Soni has now been posted as Zonal Director Head, NCB, Jodhpur-Jaipur on central deputation. He might have took charge on August 15 this year but in just two months, his team has been able to damage the economy of drugs syndicate in Rajasthan. 

In conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Soni shared his gratitude to be able to serve on this position. He said, ‘The responsibility is huge. I am grateful to UPSC who selected me for this position. My team is prepared to make drugs free Rajasthan.” Till now, his team has been able to do multiple seizures of drugs like heroine, Marijuana (ganja). In a combine raid by NCB and police were able to seize a truck full of more than 111 kg in opium poppy seeds near Jahajpur (Pali, Rajasthan). 

SEIZING OVER Rs 200 Cr PROPERTY 

In a move to economically damage the syndicate, Mr. Soni has started a combined training program. Along with NCB, several other police department are being trained under Section 68F of the Indian Penal Code NDPS act  to seize the property of the criminals caught in commercial frauds including drugs. 

“The first session was held on Jodhpur police academy in which 260 RPS officer took part. Now, several departments who work under NDPS have been given training online & offline too”, Mr. Soni. 

This step has helped to fight the drugs syndicate. The bank account, house, house, shop, shares, agricultural land, own property and property of relatives and associates of more than 35 people have been seized worth more than 200 crores rupees. 

FROM ACROSS THE BORDER 

A racket has been busted which used to order Marijuana from Amazon. The main accused was from Surat and was using ID and address of others to get the delivery. “Only control delivery of such items are permissible and in monitoring of custom & NCB. This racket was fooling innocent people and using their id & address to place the order”, said the officer. 

Besides this, the monitoring of drugs coming from across the border has also increased. In Ganganagar, several case were detected where drugs were sent here through drone. The NCB team under Mr. Soni’s leadership has now been able to control that too. In one raid, heroine worth of more than 4.5 crore were seized. 


Indian Masterminds Stories
Join our WhatsApp Channel
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IPS Ankita Sharma
Who Is IPS Ankita Sharma? Viral AK-47 Firing Video Draws Weapon Safety Concerns from Ex-Army Officer
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh
Race for India’s Next Defence Secretary Heats Up: Will R K Singh Get an Extension? Who Are the Other Contenders?
Madhya Pradesh Logo IM
Madhya Pradesh Transfers 3 IAS Officers; Akshay Temrawal Moved to Urban Development Directorate
BEL Defence Orders BEL
BEL Secures Additional Orders Worth ₹1,011 Crore for Radar, Sonar and Defence Equipment
NBCC defence infrastructure project
NBCC Appoints Ashutosh Gautam as Director (Projects), Brings Over 34 Years of Infrastructure Experience
BEL Radar Contract
MoD Signs ₹770 Crore Contract with BEL to Supply Advanced Low-Level Radars to Indian Army
MECON Zyfra MoU
MECON and Zyfra LLC Sign MoU to Boost Digitalisation and Automation Across Key Industries
GMDC Dividend
GMDC Presents ₹223.54 Crore Dividend Cheque to Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel for FY 2025-26 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
How India Plans to Boost Tourism, Create Jobs and Ease Overcrowding : Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on the Road to 2047
Dr Saket Badola IFS
Beyond Tigers and Safaris: How Corbett Literature Festival Wants to Change the Conservation Conversation
PK Jena
Why Technology Cannot Replace Human Connection in Governance: P.K. Jena
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Mavis tak
From Dropping Out of School to Becoming an IPS Officer : How a Father’s Unwavering Support Helped Mavis Tak Achieve Success
For Mavis Tak, becoming an IPS officer once seemed like a distant dream. Despite financial struggles...
Bhikan Rojekar UPSC
He missed MBBS by 1 mark in 2016; Maharashtra’s Bhikan Rojekar secures UPSC AIR 812
Bhikan Rojekar secured AIR 812 in UPSC CSE 2025 in his third attempt. Read how the son of a farm labourer...
Umar Janj UPSC CAPF
15+ Failures Couldn’t Stop Him: Umar Janj Secures AIR 160 in UPSC CAPF 2025
After multiple SSB setbacks, a CAPF interview miss by 12 marks and more than 15 failures, Umar Janj secured...
CSR NEWS
MGL CSR initiative
MGL Donates 30-Seater Hydraulic-Lift Bus to NIEPID Davangere Under MGL Saksham CSR Initiative
Inaugurated by MGL Vice President Sanket Dhotre on October 15, 2026, the accessible bus is expected to...
EIL CSR-
Engineers India Distributes Assistive Devices to 55 Divyangjans in Gurugram Under CSR Initiative
EIL’s CSR initiative provides motorised tricycles, hearing aids, wheelchairs and other aids to promote...
HPCL Gorakhpur cricket stadium
HPCL Commits ₹10 Crore Under CSR for International Cricket Stadium Development in Gorakhpur 
The CSR contribution aims to strengthen sports infrastructure, promote grassroots cricket, create employment...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IPS Ankita Sharma
Who Is IPS Ankita Sharma? Viral AK-47 Firing Video Draws Weapon Safety Concerns from Ex-Army Officer
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh
Race for India’s Next Defence Secretary Heats Up: Will R K Singh Get an Extension? Who Are the Other Contenders?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
Dr Saket Badola IFS
PK Jena
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT