Two smugglers arrested with over 160 kg ganja

Seizure of 164.86 kg of ganja and a car near the Outer Ring Road (ORR) led to the arrest of two alleged interstate drug peddlers by the SOT Cantonment Zone team along with the Abdullapurmet Police.

The accused have been identified as 28-year-old Nabin Sabar, an agriculture worker from Dariamba village in Gajapati district of Odisha, and 27-year-old Sudhkar Mandal, an agriculture worker from Antaraba in the same district.

Police said the contraband, packed in 80 packets wrapped with brown adhesive tape, was concealed in the boot of a Kia car bearing registration number AP-39-QR-2975. Two mobile phones were also seized. The total value of the seized property is estimated at about 41.21 lakh.

The case has been registered under Sections 8(c) read with 20(b)(ii)(C) of the NDPS Act.

According to investigators, the accused allegedly came into contact with a drug peddler from Barmapur in Odisha who offered them ₹60,000 per consignment to transport marijuana from Odisha to Maharashtra, Karnataka and other destinations. Police said that the accused had earlier delivered two consignments in Karnataka.

On March 1 at about 1.59 p.m., acting on a tip off, the teams intercepted the vehicle at Nalgonda Dharma Kanta, before the Outer Ring Road, while it was proceeding towards Hyderabad. The accused were apprehended and the contraband was seized under a panchanama. They were allegedly instructed to deliver the consignment at Exit No. 11 in Hyderabad.

Police said Nabin Sabar had earlier been involved in a case registered in 2023 at Sadar Behrampur in Odisha. The arrested persons are being produced before a court for judicial remand. Further investigation is underway.