Hyderabad: In a significant blow to an interstate drug network, the Rachakonda police on Wednesday arrested two men with 20 kg of hashish oil near Hyderabad, busting a racket that sourced drugs from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for lucrative sales in Bengaluru.
Acting on credible information, the SOT LB Nagar team and Abdullapurmet police swooped down on the suspects at Sampoorna Hotel, near ORR, Peddamberpet, where they were allegedly waiting to deliver the consignment to a Bengaluru-based buyer.
The arrested have been identified as Pangi Keshava Rao, 40, an agriculturist from Alluri Sita Ramaraju district in Andhra Pradesh, and Jayaram Khemundu, 26, a tree cutter and civil contractor from Odisha’s Koraput district. Police seized 20 kg of hashish oil worth an estimated ₹1.2 crore, three mobile phones, and ₹870 in cash from their possession.
Investigations revealed that Keshava Rao, previously arrested in a drug case by Anakapally Town Police, was introduced to the illicit trade by his childhood friend Krishna, who is currently on the run. Krishna allegedly supplied the duo with the contraband from Hukumpeta, Alluri Sita Ramaraju district. The suspects intended to sell the haul in Bengaluru for nearly ten times the purchase price.
Police said the suspects had arrived on the city’s outskirts to meet the buyer when they were nabbed. Officials are now working to track down Krishna and the Bengaluru-based contact, both of whom are absconding.
Preliminary information suggests that approximately 35 to 40 kg of ganja is used to produce 1 kg of hashish oil, highlighting the scale of the racket.
Rachakonda Commissionerate officials, under the direct supervision of Commissioner G. Sudheer Babu, credited the swift action of the SOT LB Nagar Zone team and Abdullapurmet police for disrupting the network. “We remain committed to eradicating the drug menace and urge the public to support us in this fight,” an official said.
