Ganja racket busted, 6 held

Rachakonda police busted a major interstate ganja smuggling racket and arrested six persons, including the kingpin, who had been operating from Mumbai. Police also seized 75 kg ganja and other material from them.

The arrested men are Nangireddy Mahesh, Bantupally Madhavi, Murthy Ramaiah Pille, Metre Ashok Kumar, Madagani Shravani and Malishetty Ravi Kiran.

Police commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat said that Murthy and Ashok were based in Mumbai and were operating the smuggling racket through their agents in AP and Telangana. The agents procured ganja from Paderu and other tribal agency areas near Vizag and transported it to Mumbai via Hyderabad. Murthy and Ashok sold the same to customers in Mumbai.

On June 9, during a check, police intercepted a vehicle in Pedda Amberpet and found 75 kg ganja which was being smuggled to Mumbai. “Based on the information given by them police teams were sent to Mumbai and the kingpins were caught. They were produced before a Mumbai court and brought to Hyderabad on transit warrant,” the commissioner said. This is the first time the kingpin of a ganja racket has been caught.

While carrying ganja to a destination the gang is accompanied by a woman in the vehicle to give the impression that a family is travelling. Police found the woman was paid around `6,000 for a trip. Police nabbed Shravani and Ravi Kiran from LB Nagar and seized 5 kg ganja from them. All the six were produced in court and 75 kg ganja, a vehicle and phones were seized from them.