Hyderabad: Telangana’s Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Force on Saturday, January 10, said it arrested a 24-year-old dhabha owner on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway for allegedly selling opium.
Acting on specific intelligence, EAGLE, in coordination with Chityal police, seized opium being sold at the dhaba, it said in a statement.
“The operation resulted in the seizure of opium and the arrest of the eatery’s owner, who was allegedly targeting Hindi-speaking truck drivers, posing a threat to public and road safety,” it added.
The dhaba owner took over the restaurant one and a half years ago after his father, who ran it for over a decade, returned home due to ill health.
Taking advantage of the demand for opium among truck drivers halting on the highway, the man procured and sold the narcotic substance. He purchased it for Rs 1,800 per kg and sold it for Rs 6,000 per kg, earning a profit of Rs 4,200 per kg.
Following sustained surveillance, a search was conducted at the dhaba on January 9, leading to the seizure of opium from the eatery’s storeroom.
The accused reportedly procured 20 kg in total, of which nine kg were seized.
“The seized quantity falls under the ‘intermediate quantity’ category as per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act,” the statement added.
The man, along with the seized opium, has been handed over to the Chityal police station for further action.
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