Madhapur cops nab 4 with ganja; bright student’s tragic downfall uncovered

Hyderabad: An operation by the sleuths of TGNAB (Telangana State Anti Narcotics Bureau) revealed the downfall of a promising student in all aspects of life due to the long-term effect of consuming drugs such as ganja.

On Friday, the TGNAB sleuths, along with Madhapur Police, Cyberabad, apprehended four persons, who were in possession of ganja. Among them was Kurumtoth Rathod Naveen Naik (27) who went from studying at the NIT in Tamil Nadu to dealing drugs for others while losing the support of family and friends gradually and couldn’t find a way back to normalcy even after getting arrested.

Apart from Naveen Naik, the other accused in Saturday’s operation include consumers Praneeth Reddy and Rahul Raj and peddlers Motikar Sachithaanand alias Sachin (28) and Raja of Dhoolpet, who is absconding.

Case details

According to Madhapur police, upon receiving credible information that four persons were in possession of ganja and were consuming the same at Madhapur near Hitex, they quickly reached the place. They found Sachin providing the ganja to Naveen Naik, Praneeth Reddy (25) and Rahul Raj (27). They were taken into custody and booked under sections 20(b)(ii)(B) 8(c) r/w 27 of the NDPS Act of Madhapur PS, Cyberabad.

Upon investigation, it turned out that Naveen Naik was caught in a previous drug case registered at Dundigal PS, Cyberabad. Five persons including Naveen were named as accused in that case. Around 10 kg of ganja and 5 grams of MDMA were seized from them.

The suppliers of the MDMA were identified as Tobideco alias Deco and Prajwal, residents of Bengaluru. The suppliers of ganja in the case were identified as Hrithwik, Imtiyaz, Jeevan and Mahesh from Bengaluru; Harish Reddy from Hyderabad and Maxy from Visakhapatnam.

How did Naveen Naik get addicted to drugs?

According to the police, Naveen studied up to 10+2 in Chaitanya School where he was a brilliant student. His parents come from a middle-class family who wished their children a bright future and set them up in good educational institutions.

Naveen joined the National Institute of Technology in Tiruchirappalli (NIT), Tamilnadu in 2015 to study BTech. There, he made friends with students who were addicted to consuming ganja. Gradually, due to peer pressure, Naveen started to consume ganja and got addicted to it.

When his parents came to know about his issue, his mother went to Tiruchirappalli and stayed with him for a month and tried her best to mend her son, but Naveen could not come out of his addiction to ganja.

Eventually, he had to leave his BTech course in his third year because he couldn’t concentrate on his studies. He moved to Bengaluru and joined a private company as a marketing officer, which required him to travel to different states.

This made him come into contact with various peddlers in different states. He gradually became a peddler himself, supplying ganja and MDMA to other software employees and his friends.

In 2022, he was caught supplying MDMA and ganja to his friend Venkateshwarlu in Hyderabad and was booked by Dundigal PS in the NDPS Act but he eventually absconded. In 2023, he was caught supplying ganja again and was booked by Palakkad PS, Kerala. This case resulted in his conviction. However, Naveen did not stop his habit of consuming and supplying ganja and MDMA until he was caught on Friday.

Naveen’s parents have been worried for him throughout. They are unable to face their friends and relatives due to the embarrassment and his mother has been bedridden for two years.

Appeal to the public

In recent times, drug abuse and consequent addiction are rising in society leading to disastrous consequences for the family as a unit and the society in general.

It is not only the children’s fault but also the parents who are too keen on providing all the facilities to their children without considering the negative effects it would bring upon them.

The responsibility also lies on the management of the educational institutions who should immediately inform the parents when they see that certain students miss classes than others or fail subjects. They should also immediately inform the authorities if they find any student indulging in drugs on or off campus.

The Hyderabad City Police requests the public of Hyderabad to refrain from substance abuse and parents are advised to keep a watch on the activities of their children to ensure they do not fall prey to drugs. Any information about drug abuse may be given at mobile number 8712671111. Let’s work together to secure a drug-free Hyderabad.