Inter-state drug racket busted, 3 held with Rs 1.2 cr worth poppy straw

Hyderabad: The Rachakonda Special Operations Team, LB Nagar zone, along with the Meerpet police, busted an inter-state drug-peddling racket and arrested three natives of Rajasthan. The police seized poppy straw weighing about 53.5 kg worth Rs 1.2 crore from them.

The police arrested Mangilal Bishnoi (21), Mangi Lal Dhaka (25), and Bhira Ram (25), all residents of Meerpet, originally from Rajasthan. The main source of drugs, Pintu alias Mohan Singh, hails from Neemuch (MP), while Shanker Lal and Sharvan, both from Rajasthan, are identified as receivers and peddlers involved in the operation. The police registered a case under Section 8(6), Section 15(c), and Section 29 of the NDPS Act.

According to the police, all the accused had previously engaged in steel railing work and agriculture to earn their livelihood. Facing financial hardship, they turned to selling narcotics to make easy money. They came in contact with Mohan Singh, a drug peddler from MP, who sold them poppy straw at a lower price. They transported the contraband via public transport, like trains, buses, and lorries, to Hyderabad, where they sold it at a premium to the local customers.

The police said that Mangilal Bishnoi was earlier involved in such activities. In 2023, he, along with two others, was arrested by the SOT LB Nagar team and the Hayathnagar police for transporting and selling heroin from Rajasthan to Hyderabad. They were found in possession of seven grams of heroin.

On information, the police arrested the accused on December 15, near Ashok Reddy Colony, Nadergul. Efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the main sources, receivers, and other absconding persons involved in the drug network.