Four interstate ganja peddlers apprehended

Rangareddy: In an operation, the Cyberabad police apprehended two interstate gangs from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra involved in the transportation of large quantities of ganja, coupled with firearms possession. The successful operation resulted in the seizure of substantial contraband and the arrest of multiple suspects.

The police confiscated a pistol, two magazines, 14 rounds of ammunition, 1,228 kgs of dry ganja, 10 mobile phones, and three vehicles valued at Rs 3 crore. Two cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 1985 and the Arms Act 1959 were registered with cases filed at Dundigal and Narsingi police stations.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner, Stephen Raveendra, revealed that the Special Operations Team (SOT), Medchal Zone, with Dundigal police, apprehended four inter-State drug peddlers. The arrested individuals were identified as Mohammed Inam, Banti Kashyap, Mohammad Sada from Muzaffar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, and Lalith Kumar Kashyap from Panipat, Haryana. Two additional suspects, Bablu Shinde of Solapur, Maharashtra (considered the primary receiver), and Subhash of Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh (a major supplier), are currently absconding.

Commissioner Raveendra disclosed that Mohammed Inam, an intermediate dropout with a history of property offences was arrested multiple times by the UP police. All the accused were involved in the illegal transportation of ganja from the Araku valley of Visakhapatnam to Solapur in Maharashtra, passing through Hyderabad. They sourced the ganja from Subhash, supplying it to Bablu Shinde.

The operation involved Inam’s procurement of a weapon, magazines, and live rounds from Aas Mohammed. Inam Saad travelled to the Araku Valley agency area to collect the ganja. Subhash loaded 508 kilograms of dry ganja into the Mahindra XUV 500, and the contraband was wrapped in brown tape to avoid detection. Then they drove to Solapur via Hyderabad, avoiding toll plazas due to strict checks in Telangana.

The operation concluded on September 11, when SOT Medchal zone and Dundigal police teams arrested Inam and Mohammad Saad, discovering the contraband in a XUV 500. The authorities also seized vehicles owned by Banti Kashyap and Lalith Kashyap, and other properties valued at Rs 1,49,10,500. The accused revealed that they purchased ganja at Rs 3,000 per kg, intending to sell it for Rs 25,000 per kg.

In a separate operation, Narsingi police apprehended two ganja suppliers, Vishal Chandrakanth Shinde, and Sagar Bhaban Deshmukh, seizing 720 kgs of ganja, a DCM vehicle, and three mobile phones, collectively valued at Rs 1,64,00,000. The primary accused, Rahman, a resident of Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, was identified as the mastermind behind the transportation of dry ganja from Andhra Pradesh to Maharashtra. Vishal, a resident of Satara district, Maharashtra, delivered ganja as per Rahman’s instructions. Rahman used a DCM vehicle to load 144 packets of dry ganja, weighing 720 kg, from local cultivators in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. On September 11, authorities intercepted the vehicle and seized everything.

The accused disclosed that they purchased ganja at Rs 4,000 per kg and sold it for Rs 20,000 per kg.