Hyderabad: Police busted an inter-state drug racket and seized 164.86 kg of ganja, arresting two men who allegedly transported the contraband from Odisha to southern States.
The Special Operations Team (SOT) of Cantonment Zone, along with Abdullapurmet Police Station, carried out the operation on March 1. Officers intercepted the accused near Nalgonda Dharma Kanta before the Outer Ring Road. During the raid, the team seized 80 packets of ganja weighing 164.86 kg.
Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The seized contraband carried an estimated value of Rs.41.21 lakh. In addition, officers confiscated a Kia car and two mobile phones allegedly used for transport and communication.
Investigators identified the accused as Nabin Sabar, 28, and Sudhkar Mandal, 27, natives of Gajapati district in Odisha. According to police, they agreed to transport each consignment for Rs.60,000 per trip. They had already delivered two consignments to Karnataka before their arrest. Furthermore, one of the accused had been involved in a narcotics case in Odisha in 2023.
Senior officers supervise inter-state drug racket probe
Following the arrests, police produced both accused before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Officers said further investigation into the inter-state drug racket was underway to trace the wider network.
DCP B. Anuradha of LB Nagar Zone monitored the case. K. Manohar, DCP Road Safety and in-charge SOT Malkajgiri, and N. Narasimha Reddy, Additional DCP SOT-1, oversaw the investigation. B. Koteshwar Rao, Additional DCP LB Nagar Zone, also supervised the operation.
ACP P. Kashi Reddy of Vanasthalipuram and ACP C. Anjaiah of SOT-1 guided the team. Inspector K. Srinivas of SOT Cantonment Zone, along with the SHO and staff of Abdullapurmet Police Station, executed the arrests.
Police said they would examine financial links and possible interstate supply chains as part of the ongoing probe into the inter-state drug racket.
