5 HELD FOR SMUGGLING GANJA

Excise personnel busted an interstate ganja smuggling racket, arrested five persons and seized 50 kgs of ganja on Friday. The main accused was illegally transporting ganja from Odisha and selling it for huge profits in the city and on the outskirts.

On a tip-off, excise police nabbed two drug peddlers Devi Prasad Rai Chowdhury and Rohan Singh, who were transporting 20 kg of ganja in Dhoolpet. When questioned, they said that one Sanjay Kumar Naik of Odisha was operating a ganja business from Annojiguda of Ghatkesar. Mr N. Anji Reddy, assistant excise superintendent enforcement, said, "Based on the information given by them, we raided Naik’s residence in Indira Nagar Colony, Annojiguda,. During the search we found 30 kg of dry ganja and a woman drug peddler, Krishna Kumari, 30, of Sitaphalmandi, who came there to negotiate a deal. We seized 50,000 from her."

It was revealed that Sanjay Kumar along with his gang members and wife Sunamani Naik, 24 were transporting ganja from Odisha to Hyderabad and selling it on a wholesale basis at `3,000 to `3,500 per kg to ganja sellers at Dhoolpet and Sitaphalmandi, said Mr Reddy. Some more receivers were also identified, and a manhunt is being launched to locate and arrest them.

The original case papers along with five persons, seized contraband and drawn samples handed over to the SHO Prohibition & Excise Station, Dhoolpet, for further action.