Hyderabad police arrest Vizag cousins, seize Rs 1.08 crore worth of hash oil
Hyderabad: The Special Operations Team (SOT) of LB Nagar, along with Hayath Nagar police, apprehended two interstate drug peddlers on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
The accused, Vanchurbha Konda Babu (30) from Madugula, erstwhile Visakhapatnam district, and Vanchurbha Balakrishna (20) from Alluri Seetharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, are cousins arrested for possessing 13.5 kilograms of hash oil.
The seized haul includes 13.5 kilograms of hash oil, two mobile phones, Rs. 2,000 in cash, and 1 kg of plastic packing covers, with a total estimated value of Rs. 1,08,00,000 (One Crore Eight Lakh Rupees).
A complaint has been registered under the NDPS Act 1985 at Hayath Nagar police station CR.No 904/2024 U/S. 8 (c) r/w 20 (b) (ii) (C).
According to the police, the accused, previously involved in agricultural work, were lured into the drug trade by an unidentified source in their village. They procured hash oil from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, using Hyderabad as a transit point before selling it at a much higher price, around ten times the purchase cost, to a receiver in Bengaluru.
Acting on a tip-off, the SOT team and Hayath Nagar police apprehended the duo on Sunday evening. Konda Babu and Balakrishna were caught waiting for their Bengaluru contact at Taaza Foods Hotel near the Outer Ring Road (ORR) on the outskirts of Hyderabad. They had procured the hash oil, which fell short of the 14 kg order placed by the Bengaluru receiver, on August 8 from Chaduru Mamidi Kondalu, a village located 15 kilometers from their hometown.
The main suspect is still missing, and a search is in progress.
It was reported that the Rachakonda police recently apprehended drug traffickers, including a father, a son, and siblings. It has been observed that the accused involved their family members and close relatives in the illegal drug trade to make quick money.
It is important to note that approximately 35 to 40 kilograms of ganja are used to produce 1 kg of hash oil. Therefore, the total 13.5 kilograms of hash oil seized would require approximately 560 kilograms of ganja. Based on the market rate for ganja, the hash oil is estimated to be worth around 14 crores.
Police are appealing to the public and students to be aware of the dangers of narcotics and to report any suspicious activity.
The Rachakonda police department urges the community to help curb the drug menace by reporting any information related to drug trafficking or abuse. They remind the public that procuring, selling, transporting, or consuming banned narcotics is a punishable offense under the NDPS Act, with penalties ranging from 10 years imprisonment to the death penalty.
The above arrests were made under the direct supervision of G. Sudheer Babu, Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda, and under the guidance of C. Praveen Kumar, DCP, LB Nagar, and K. Muralidhar, DCP, SOT, LB Nagar-Maheshwaram, SOT & Hayath Nagar police personnel.
