Hyderabad: Three interstate gangs that were supplying Ganja or marijuana and peddling other drugs were arrested by the city police in a major bust. The cops seized 204 grams of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 110 kgs of Marijuana, a few cell phones, cash and cars, all worth Rs 60 lakhs. The cops managed to get a big lead on the drug supply to the state by tracking down a drug consumer from the city’s HITEC City area.
City police commissioner CV Anand said that the cops investigated and found one Sana Khan, a resident of Kondapur, who is an IT employee. She reportedly used to consume and sell MDMA in Hyderabad, and the user is what helped the police track the drug network in Hyderabad.
“She used to travel to Mumbai frequently in the last two to three years, and bought drugs from a supplier in Mumbai named Jathin Balachandra Balerao. She bought 1 gram of MDMA for about 3 thousand rupees in Mumbai and sold it for about 7 thousand in Hyderabad,” said Anand during a press conference on Tuesday. The police investigated Sana Khan and found 40 to 50 consumers in Hyderabad and 70 consumers in Mumbai.
According to Anand, Jathin procures Cocaine from one Emmanuel Osondu, a Nigerian who was arrested by the Bahadurpura police station earlier. H-NEW and Gopalapuram police officials seized 204 grams of MDMA, 4 smartphones, a Toyota corolla car and things worth Rs 20 lakhs in that case.
The Hyderabad police commissioner also said information regarding the drug racket obtained during investigations has been shared with the Mumbai Police.
“We have investigated for about 2 months and caught 3 modules, this is just the tip of the iceberg but we have discovered crucial information regarding the Narcotics situation in Hyderabad during our investigation. There is an increase in the flow of narcotics from Mumbai and we will conduct joint operations with the Mumbai Police to prevent the supply of drugs to Hyderabad and Telangana,” said commissioner Anand.
110 Kgs Ganja seized in separate case
In a case of organised procurement, possession and interstate transportation of ganja from Araku in Andhra Pradesh to Mumbai, the Hyderabad police also intercepted an Innova vehicle and seized about 110 Kgs Ganja, Rs 1.5 lakh cash, 4 cell phones all worth 36 lakhs.
One Bilkis Suleiman Sheik and her husband Ali Asghar, residents of Mumbai, contacted Murtuza Shaikh, a Zaheerabad resident and ganja seller. Murtuza led them to one Srinivas, a ganja cultivator in Araku. The couple then sent some other persons to purchase dry ganja of about 110 Kg from the cultivator.
As soon as they reached Hyderabad, Murtuza Shaikh decided to take 20 KG of dry Ganja to Zaheerabad on an RTC bus from Mahatma Gandhi Bus Stand (MGBS). Acting on tipoff, the Commissioner’s Task Force’s east zone team along with the Afzalgunj police station proceeded to MGBS and apprehended Murtuza.
Anand also said that Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) and the Charminar police caught one Mehraj Kazi, a resident of Andheri West, Mumbai, and seized 40 grams MDMA, a phone and other things worth Rs 4 lakhs, in one of the drug busts. “All three cases had connections to Mumbai and there is an increase in the supply of narcotics from Mumbai to Telangana,” he added
Speaking about H-NEW, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), G Chakravarthy, said that 104 narcotics related cases were registered, and that 212 peddlers were arrested. In total, the Hyderabad police seized 12 types of drugs worth Rs 6.3 crores. 1,076 consumers were caught by the cops.
