Ganja racket from Odisha to Mumbai busted at Secunderabad; two Bihar peddlers held

Hyderabad: The Government Railway Police (GRP) Secunderabad and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) jointly busted an interstate ganja smuggling racket on November 11, arresting two peddlers from Bihar and seizing 18.823 kg of dry ganja worth ₹9.41 lakh at Secunderabad Railway Station.

The arrested accused were identified as Ajay Kumar (35) and Rina Devi (40), both residents of Marsinghpur Ka Tola, Nalanda district, Bihar. The two were caught during a surprise inspection at platform 10 while attempting to transport ganja from Rayagada, Odisha to Mumbai via the LTT Express (Train No. 18519).

Smugglers followed instructions from absconding Odisha handler

Police said the accused agreed to smuggle ganja for ₹5,000 per person per trip. They were acting under the instructions of Pankaj, a native of Bihar currently residing in Rayagada, Odisha, who remains absconding.

Ajay Kumar and Rina Devi met Pankaj in the Muniguda forest area, where he handed them two trolley suitcases containing ganja. He also provided them with train tickets to Mumbai. Ajay carried a green trolley with five packets of ganja; Rina carried a red one with four packets. All packets were wrapped in brown adhesive tape.

The duo travelled from Rayagada to Duvvada and then boarded the LTT Express, occupying berths 16 and 18 in the A-1 AC coach. They concealed the ganja beneath their berths.

At Secunderabad, officers noticed their suspicious behavior and questioned them. Upon interrogation, both admitted to carrying ganja and revealed the smuggling details. Police recovered 18.823 kg of dry ganja, two mobile phones, and journey tickets from their possession.

GRP and RPF officials involved in the operation

The joint operation was led by B. Saieashwar Goud, IRP, and S.V. Subba Reddy, SIRP, along with GRP personnel M. Sukhdev Naik, Smt. SK Mahabunni, P. Narendra, D. Naga, and K. Chandra Shekar. RPF officers Bhavani Shankar Saraswat, Govindu Naidu, and Guruvaiah also took part.

Smt. Chandana Deepti, IPS, Superintendent of Railway Police, and S.N. Jawed, DSRP, supervised the operation. IGP (Railway & Road Safety) K. Ramesh Naidu, IPS, appreciated the team’s efforts and announced suitable rewards for the officers and staff involved.