Hyderabad: Railway police and the Eagle team (TGANB) busted an interstate ganja smuggling network on Friday, arresting four peddlers from Maharashtra and seizing 45.860 kg of ganja valued at ₹22.93 lakh at Secunderabad Railway Station.
The accused Bali Atish Pawar (24), Rohit Godaji Chavhan (35), Rajani Rohit Chavan (28), and Padma Ashok Pimpale (44) were taken into custody while waiting to board a train to Aurangabad after arriving on the Falaknuma Express from Berhampur, Odisha. Two others from Berhampur, identified as Bhura and Ashish Kumar, are absconding.
Police said Bali Pawar had earlier served jail time in a Khammam NDPS case after establishing contacts with the Odisha-based suppliers while working on a chilli farm. Following her release, she conspired to buy ganja at cheaper rates in Odisha and sell it for double the price in Maharashtra. During a family gathering, Pawar convinced her relatives to join the trade promising big profits.
The group bought 45 kg of dry ganja on July 3 in Berhampur, packed it into 21 packets, and boarded the Falaknuma Express. After reaching Secunderabad on July 4, they waited to catch the Devagiri Express to Aurangabad when a police team including Narco Dog Squad personnel apprehended them. Four bags containing the ganja, four mobile phones, and a train ticket were seized.
Senior railway officers including IRP B. Saieashwar Goud, SIRP SV Subba Reddy, and other staff of GRP Secunderabad, working with the Eagle team (TGANB) and RPF, conducted the operation under the supervision of Smt. Chandana Deepti, IPS, Superintendent of Railway Police. Higher officials commended the teams and announced rewards for their efforts.
