Interstate ganja smuggling racket busted by Rachakonda cops, 650 kg ganja seized

Hyderabad: The sleuths of special operations team (SOT), LB Nagar zone, along with the Hayathnagar police busted an interstate ganja smuggling racket and arrested eight persons on 9 January. They seized 650 kg of ganja, cash worth Rs. 60,000, and various other items, including 10 mobile phones, all worth Rs. 83,60,000.

Based on credible information, the officers nabbed Pathala Nagesh (23), Mogga Hari (27), Ravada Venkata Kishore Reddy (30), Guddeti Kannama Naidu (27), Ganji Teja (22), Maggi Chakravarthy (31), Gurugolli Appal Reddy (28), and Pasupuneti Shivaji (27) near Pedda Amberpet crossroad under Hayathnagar police station while they were transporting the ganja from Visakhapatnam to Zaheerabad in Telangana's Sangareddi district. All the accused persons are from Visakhapatnam district.

According to the police, Pathala Nagesh, is a resident of Butchayyapeta village in Visakhapatnam district, transported ganja from Visakhapatnam Agency area in Andhra Pradesh to different places like Zaheerabad and bordering areas of Maharashtra. He is also wanted in another case registered against him and others in Zaheerabad police station. Nagesh was facing some financial crisis and he hatched the plan to smuggle ganja along with others. He promised to give equal share to all.

According to their plan, Nagesh talked to his customer Karthik Rathod of Zaheerabad town, who is now absconding. The latter agreed to receive the ganja. The gang purchased 650 kg ganja from the Agency area at Rs. 3,000 per kg. They planned to sell the same for Rs. 10,000 per kg. On Friday, they packed the ganja in 300 packets of 2-2.5 kgs each and loaded the same in the Eicher van. On Saturday morning, they were arrested near Pedda Amberpet crossroad.