Hyderabad: The Commissioner’s Task Force, East Zone team, in a joint operation with Afzalgunj Police, busted an inter-state ganja smuggling racket on Monday, arresting two labourers from Odisha and seizing 11 kilograms of dry ganja along with a mobile phone, all valued at approximately ₹2.85 lakh.
The accused, identified as Aman Hantali (22) and Raiman Gute (18), both hailing from Malkangiri district of Odisha, had been working as centring labourers to make ends meet. However, struggling to cover their household expenses, they were lured into the ganja trade by a supplier known as Jhinno.
According to the police, Jhinno had roped the duo into transporting ganja from Bhadrachalam to Hyderabad, promising ₹12,500 per delivery trip. Following his instructions, Aman and Raiman collected the contraband from a contact at Bhadrachalam Bus Stand on June 8 and boarded a private bus to Hyderabad.
Their plan hit a roadblock when the Task Force, acting on a tip-off, swooped down on the suspects while they were waiting at a private bus parking area near JK Nursery in Afzalgunj. The accused were allegedly preparing to hand over the consignment to one Vinod Singh, a Hyderabad-based contact.
Upon searching the suspects, the police recovered 11 kg of dry ganja and a mobile phone. The seized property and the accused were handed over to the Afzalgunj Police Station for further legal action.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of A. Nagarjuna, Inspector of Police, East Zone Task Force, with Sub-Inspectors P. Nagaraju and M. Anantha Chary leading the team.
Addl. Dy. Commissioner of Police, Task Force, Andhe Srinivasa Rao, lauded the team’s efforts in curbing the illegal drug trade and reiterated the department’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking across Hyderabad.