Hyderabad: Railway Police busted an interstate ganja smuggling racket at Secunderabad Railway Station and arrested two Odisha-based peddlers while seizing over 10 kg of contraband.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) Secunderabad, EAGLE team of TGANB, and Railway Protection Force (RPF) conducted the operation on March 23. During surprise checks, teams intercepted two suspects transporting ganja from Odisha to Delhi.
Police identified the accused as Dipak Sahu, 26, and Deepak Gouda, 20, from Ganjam district in Odisha. Officers arrested both on the same day.
Police seized 10.089 kg of dry ganja valued at Rs. 5,04,450. They also recovered two mobile phones from the accused.
Secunderabad ganja smuggling racket traced to Odisha route
Investigators said the accused sourced ganja from the Gajapati forest area. Earlier this month, they transported and sold ganja in Delhi for profit.
Subsequently, they procured another 10 kg of ganja on March 22 for Rs. 35,000 from an unidentified supplier. They packed the contraband into five packets and boarded the Visakha Express at around 11:30 am.
Later, they planned to travel to Delhi via Secunderabad. On March 23 at about 7:30 am, they reached Secunderabad Railway Station.
However, they learned that the connecting train to Delhi would depart at night. Therefore, they stepped out briefly, had breakfast, and returned to the waiting hall with the contraband.
Secunderabad ganja smuggling racket busted during checking
At around 10:00 am, police teams approached the suspects during routine checks. When officers questioned them, they found ganja inside their backpacks. The accused admitted possession of the contraband.
The joint team seized the material and detained both individuals. GRP personnel B. Saieashwar Goud and T. Madhav led the operation along with their staff. Meanwhile, EAGLE team officials worked under Dy. Superintendent of Police P. Bikshapati Rao.
In addition, RPF personnel led by Bhavani Shankar Saraswat supported the operation. Senior officers, including Sandeep, IPS, and S.N. Jawed, supervised the action.
IGP Railway and Road Safety K. Ramesh Naidu, IPS, later commended the teams and announced rewards.
Overall, the Secunderabad ganja smuggling racket exposed the use of railway routes for interstate drug transport. Consequently, police intensified surveillance at key transit points.