
Inter-State drug peddling racket busted, hashish oil worth ₹80 lakh seized in Bhongir
The Hindu
Inter-State drug peddling racket busted, hashish oil worth ₹80 lakh seized in Bhongir
In a joint operation, the Special Operations Team (SOT) of Malkajgiri, in coordination with the Bhongir Rural Police, apprehended two inter-State drug peddlers for transporting four kilograms of hashish oil valued at approximately ₹80 lakh in the black market.
The two arrested have been identified as Petla Shekar, 25, and Animini Reddy Durga Rao, 25, residents of Gabbada village in Ankapally district, Andhra Pradesh, said Commissioner of Rachakonda Police G. Sudheer Babu.
“Shekar, who holds a B.Sc degree in chemistry from Andhra University, and Durga Rao, a lorry driver familiar with routes in and around Hyderabad, allegedly collaborated to supply hashish oil to consumers in Bhongir, and the outskirts of Hyderabad,” said the officer.
Shekar was introduced to a known ganja supplier, identified only as ‘Ganja Durga’, through a mutual acquaintance.
On April 11, Shekar and Durga Rao acquired four kilograms of hashish oil and travelled by train to Hyderabad. “They disembarked at Bhongir railway station and were moving near Anantharam service road when police teams detained them. Officers recovered hashish oil stored in three packets inside a college bag, along with two mobile phones,” added the officer.
Authorities said that the seized hashish oil would have required roughly 200 kilograms of ganja for its production. The key supplier, Ganja Durga, remains absconding, and efforts are underway to arrest him.

Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine paid his respects to Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Friday ahead of the funeral planned on Saturday. Mr. Augustine is in the Vatican as the official representative of the Kerala government. He paid his respects to the late pontiff along with Cardinals Baselios Cleemis and George Jacob Koovakad. Mr. Augustine reached the Vatican on Friday morning. He will return to India on Sunday after attending the funeral, the Minister’s office said in a statement.