4 drug peddlers caught in Pedda Amberpet, 80 kg ganja seized

Hyderabad: Four interstate drug peddlers were arrested here on Saturday with 80 kg of ganja. The sleuths of the special operations team (SOT), LB Nagar zone, along with the Abdullahpurmet police arrested Vadthya Mukesh (25), Chouhan Srinivas (23), Rathod Naveen (22), and Vadthya Anil (22). They seized ganja, two cars, four mobile phones, and cash Rs. 2,500 from them, all worth Rs. 32.52 lakh.

Three others – Vadthya Maruthi (26) and suppliers Ramesh and Kamesh – are absconding. In 2021, Mukesh, Srinivas, and Maruthi went to Araku for sightseeing and befriended Ramesh, a drug peddler from Lambasinghi, Visakhapatnam district. Ramesh convinced the three to become ganja smugglers and offered to give them dry ganja (2 kg packet) for Rs. 2,000. He advised them to sell the same for Rs. 40,000 in Telangana.

Mukesh and his friends decided to start an illegal ganja business to make easy money. Maruthi contributed Rs. 80,000 while Mukesh and Srinivas paid Rs. 40,000 to start their business.

On 18 February, Srinivas, Naveen, and Anil rented a car and went to Lambasinghi in Chintapalli mandal, Visakhapatnam district. Three days later Mukesh joined them. They contacted Ramesh and purchased 80 kg dry ganja (40 packets) from him and Kamesh for Rs. 80,000. They loaded the ganja into two cars and left for Sanga Reddy. They used a 'PRESS' sticker on the vehicle to evade the police.

On 26 February, in the sleuths of SOT, LB Nagar zone, along with the Abdullahpurmet police intercepted the two vehicles at ORR toll plaza in Pedda Amberpet and apprehended the four.