Hyderabad: Excise officials bust ganja racket hiding drugs behind gods’ photos in Dhoolpet

Hyderabad: In a shocking revelation, Excise officials uncovered a ganja smuggling racket that concealed marijuana packets behind idols and photos of gods inside pooja rooms to evade police checks.

The Excise STF conducted raids in Hyderabad’s Dhoolpet and seized over 21 kg of ganja in two separate operations on the same day.

Puja in progress, officers left puzzled

During a raid at a house in Indiranagar, Dhoolpet, officials found family members sitting calmly while one person was performing an elaborate pooja inside the prayer room.

Despite searching the entire house thoroughly, no traces of ganja were found initially. However, the suspiciously intense pooja prompted officers to inspect the prayer room closely.

Marijuana hidden behind gods’ portraits

When they moved the framed photos of gods slightly, they discovered bundles wrapped in paper. Upon opening them, officials found packets of ganja cleverly hidden behind the portraits. The accused, identified as Rohan Singh, was performing the pooja while keeping the narcotics concealed in the sanctum.

Odisha supply line to Hyderabad IT corridors

Investigations revealed that the racket sourced ganja from Odisha and distributed it in small packets of 5, 10, 15, and 20 grams to agents in Gachibowli, Madhapur, and other IT areas for retail sale. Rohan Singh and Yashwant Singh were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Second raid in Shivlal Nagar

On the same day, Excise officials raided another house in Shivlal Nagar and seized 10 kg of ganja from Sankeer Singh, Sushil Singh, Sarita, and Swapna Mandal alias Meena Bai from Odisha. In yet another operation at Pawan Singh’s house in Balaram Galli, officials recovered 2 kg of ganja.

Total seizure of 21 kg worth Rs 22 lakh

Across both cases, the Excise STF seized 21.334 kg of ganja worth approximately Rs 22 lakh. Those arrested include Kaushik Singh, Shweta Bai, Akhilesh, Durga Bhavani, and Mano Singh, apart from others.

Officials vow continued crackdown

“Drug rackets may change names and methods, but our operations will continue relentlessly,” Excise officers asserted, adding that concealing narcotics behind devotional photos is a dangerous trend that harms society as a whole.