Interstate ganja racket busted near ORR; two Odisha men held with 164.86 kg contraband
HYDERABAD: The Special Operations Team (SOT), Cantonment Zone, along with Abdullapurmet police, busted an interstate drug peddling racket on March 1, 2026, and arrested two persons. Police seized 164.86 kg of ganja, a Kia car and two mobile phones, collectively valued at ₹41,21,500.
The case has been registered as Crime No. 162/2026 under Sections 8(c) read with 20(b)(ii)(C) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 at Abdullapurmet police station, Malkajgiri.
Accused identified
The arrested persons were identified as Nabin Sabar (28), son of Bema Sabar, a native of Dariamba village under Mohana police station limits, Gajapati district, Odisha, and Sudhakar Mandal (27), son of Asanthan Mandal, from Purunasahi, Antaraba village, Adava sub-division, Gajapati district, Odisha.
Police said the duo, who worked as drivers, allegedly turned to drug transportation due to financial problems. They reportedly came into contact with a drug peddler from Berhampur, Odisha, who offered them ₹60,000 per consignment to transport ganja from Odisha to Maharashtra, Karnataka and other locations.
Investigators said the accused had earlier delivered two consignments in Karnataka.
Seizure and interception
On March 1, 2026, at 13.59 IST, acting on a tip-off, the SOT team intercepted a Kia car (AP-39-QR-2975) at Nalgonda Dharma Kanta, before the Outer Ring Road towards Hyderabad.
Police found 164.86 kg of ganja concealed in 80 packets wrapped with brown adhesive tape and stored in the vehicle’s dickey. The contraband was allegedly meant to be delivered at Exit No. 11 in Hyderabad.
The accused were apprehended and the contraband seized under a panchanama. They were produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.
Police said Nabin Sabar was previously involved in Crime No. 498/2023 registered at Sadar Berhampur police station, Odisha.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of senior officers of the Malkajgiri Police Commissionerate, including Dr B Anuradha, IPS, LB Nagar Zone, K Manohar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Road Safety and in-charge SOT Malkajgiri, N Narasimha Reddy, Additional DCP, SOT-1, B Koteshwar Rao, Additional DCP, LB Nagar Zone, P Kashi Reddy, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Vanasthalipuram, C Anjaiah, ACP, SOT-1, and K Srinivas, Inspector, SOT Cantonment Zone, along with the Station House Officer and staff of Abdullapurmet police station.
