Odisha man arrested with 8 kg ganja near Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: A 22-year-old man from Odisha was apprehended with 8 kg of ganja worth about Rs 4 lakh, which he had allegedly brought to the city to sell to customers here, the police said.

The Commissioner’s Task Force, Shamshabad Zone, along with the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) Police, apprehended the accused, identified as Raj Pradhan alias Gaura, a farmer from Bartini in Berhampur of Odisha’s Ganjam district, acting on a tip-off. 

A mobile phone was also seized from him.

Bought at Rs 8,000, sold at up to Rs 40,000

According to the police, the accused had planned to sell the contraband illegally for substantial profit. He was allegedly in touch with one Ram Brada alias Bolaram from Odisha, from whom he procured ganja at Rs 8,000 for a two kg packet, and sold it between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 to customers in Hyderabad and surrounding areas.

Ram Brada, described by police as the source of the supply, is absconding.

The accused was handed over to the RGIA Police and a case has been registered under Sections 8(C) read with 20b(ii)(B) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The investigation is continuing.

Appeal to parents

Police said several young people and students had become addicted to ganja and other drugs in recent times and had gone on to be involved in crime and other anti-social activities, leaving many families affected.

They appealed to the youth not to fall prey to drugs and asked parents to keep watch on their children’s activities and to approach the police or pass on information to help curb such activities.