Bhubaneswar, April 13 : Senior officers of Odisha and West Bengal police departments on Friday held a virtual inter-state coordination meeting to ensure free and fair elections in the districts located on the border of the two neighbouring states.

Senior officials of both states including Odisha DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi, his West Bengal counterpart Sanjay Mukherjee, and Superintendents of Police of border districts participated in the meeting.

Sarangi stressed on the need to check the illegal supply of contraband brown sugar from Bardhaman, Lalgola and Murshidabad areas of West Bengal into Odisha.

He sought proper coordination between the police personnel of both the states to arrest the big drug peddlers involved in the illegal trade.

The participants held a threadbare discussion over plans for rigorous inspection at the border check posts, raids on unlawful trade in excise products like alcohol, arms, drugs and illegal cash transactions.

The participants also emphasised on the need to ensure peaceful, violence-free and free and fair elections in border districts including Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts of Odisha.

The officials also deliberated on sharing of intelligence, arrest of interstate criminals etc. during the virtual meeting.

/IANS