Hyderabad: In a major operation, Shadnagar police and the SOT Shamshabad team seized a staggering Rs 3 crore worth of narcotics during a raid at a roadside dhaba near Raikal Toll Gate. Acting on a tip-off, police nabbed Vikas Sohu, who allegedly ran the racket from Sanju Bhai Marwadi Dhaba on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway.
Police said Vikas, 26, originally from Rajasthan, had been peddling heroin, opium, poppy straw and ganja to customers frequenting the dhaba. Officials seized 1.5 kg of heroin, 632 grams of opium, 2.8 kg of poppy straw, 1 kg of ganja, Rs 89,700 in cash, three mobile phones, a digital weighing machine and packing covers.
“Vikas, who worked as a cook at the dhaba, sourced drugs from his brother and others across different states,” said Cyberabad Commissioner Avinash Mohanty. The accused allegedly blended heroin with poppy straw to sell the mixture at higher prices, targeting dhaba customers.
Police revealed that Vikas’s brother, also a key player, died recently, but Vikas continued the operation, maintaining links with suppliers from Madhya Pradesh and Maheshwaram. Sanju Bhai, the dhaba owner who earlier worked with Vikas, had died last month.
Investigators said Vikas sourced heroin from a supplier named Ganpath in Madhya Pradesh and bought ganja from Raju of Maheshwaram. “He bought opium and poppy straw at low rates and sold them to lorry drivers and other passers-by,” said an officer.
Police also discovered that Vikas had contacts in Hyderabad and beyond, and warned that the drugs were distributed to other states too.
“The total value of the seized drugs is estimated at Rs 3.05 crore,” the commissioner said. The case is under investigation by Shadnagar police.
Meanwhile, officials urged the public to report any information about drug peddling by dialling 100 or messaging on WhatsApp at 9490617444. Educational institutions were asked to keep a watch on student activities and report suspicious behaviour.
