7 smugglers caught with 109 kg of ganja in Rajendranagar; ORR used to evade checks

Hyderabad: The Rajendranagar Police, along with the Special Operations Team (SOT) of Rajendranagar Zone, arrested seven members of an interstate ganja smuggling gang and seized nearly 109 kilograms of ganja on Tuesday evening.

Cars intercepted on ORR

Acting on specific intelligence, police teams intercepted two vehicles, a Maruti Swift and a Maruti Ignis, near Exit No 17 of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) toll gate around 6 pm on July 10. During the search, officials recovered 30 packets weighing 60 kg from the Swift car and 48 kg from the Ignis car.

Accused procured ganja from Odisha

According to DCP Rajendra Nagar, Ch. Srinivas, the accused, procured the contraband from Pawan Deep alias Jeevan, an Odisha-based supplier. They transported the ganja from Odisha to Pune via Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Suryapet and Hyderabad, using the ORR to evade checking.

Details of arrested accused

All the arrested hail from Pune district, Maharashtra.

Prashant Ganesh Pasalkar alias Nana (29): Previously arrested in NDPS and attempted murder cases were reported in Telangana and Maharashtra.

Lata Ganesh Jadhav (40), Sachin Dilip Ranavare (37): Involved in robbery, assault, and intimidation cases. Rohan Pandurang Pawar, Rahul Baburao Dhavre (28): Has multiple cases of robbery and assault.

Gaurav Natekar (26): Involved in assault and intimidation cases and Pawan Deep alias Jeevan: Supplier from Odisha.

Four of them have prior criminal records, with A-1 Prashant involved in ganja smuggling for the past four years.

Seized property

Police seized a total of 108.797 kg of ganja, six mobile phones, Rs. 9,700 cash, and the two cars used in the smuggling operation.

Appeal to public

The Police Department has appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities involving drugs or illegal substances on toll-free number 1908 or 87126 71111, emphasising public cooperation to keep communities safe and drug-free.