Police officials with the seized marijuana.
The Shamirpet Police and the Special Operations Team (SOT) Balanagar, busted an interstate drug trafficking racket transporting dry marijuana from Odisha to Haryana via Telangana.
Three individuals were arrested and a total of 273 kg of dry marijuana was seized, along with a pick-up vehicle and mobile phones, with the total haul valued at approximately ₹1.01 crore.
The accused, Pardeep Kumar, 27, Sunny, 25, and Manish Kumar, 29, all residents of Bowenpally, Secunderabad, and originally from Punjab and Haryana, were intercepted while transporting the narcotics, disguised among household items in the vehicle.
The arrests were made on Sunday near the Outer Ring Road junction at Shamirpet, following a tip-off, said the police.
According to the police, the gang had procured the contraband from a supplier in Odisha identified as Subhash Biswas, who remains absconding. Sahil, another accused from Sonipat, Haryana — also absconding — had previously been convicted in a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) case and played a key role in financing and coordinating the deal. He is alleged to have paid ₹1.3 lakh for the consignment and later flew to Haryana to receive the delivery.
Investigators said the group used only WhatsApp for communication and relied on an internet dongle to avoid detection. They concealed the 273 kg of marijuana beneath household items loaded into the vehicle to evade checkpoints. “The vehicle, bearing registration TG-08-T-2653, is owned by Pardeep Kumar and was regularly used for packers and movers jobs in the Bowenpally area,” said the police.
The seized items include the marijuana (valued at ₹95.55 lakh), the pick-up vehicle (₹5 lakh), and seven mobile devices along with the dongle (₹70,000), totalling ₹1.01 crore.
The case has been registered under Sections 8(c) read with 20(b)(ii)(C), 27(A), and 29 of the NDPS Act with the Shamirpet Police.
Police have issued an appeal to the public to report any information about drug trafficking through Dial 100 or the Cyberabad WhatsApp number 9490617444. Informants’ identities will be kept confidential.
Published – April 06, 2025 06:49 PM is
