Ganja smuggling racket busted in Telangana, 499 kgs of ganja worth Rs 2.5 cr seized

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 14 (ANI): Telangana Police on Monday busted a massive Ganja smuggling racket and seized 499 kgs of Ganja, with an estimated value of Rs 2,50,00,000. (Two Crore Fifty Lakh Rupees).
Additionally, upon inspecting the container, the police discovered 96 packets of government-prohibited Ganja.
According to the Superintendent of Police of Bhadradri Kothagudem, they acted on credible information received earlier in the day regarding two individuals from Maharashtra and Karnataka who were illegally transporting ganja in a container lorry. The route taken was from Bhadrachalam to Jaipur, Rajasthan, via Kothagudem-Khammam.
Hence, the CCS Police and Sub-Inspector Rama Devi of Sujathanagar initiated a joint vehicle check operation.
During the checks near the Annapurna Bakery in Sujathanagar Mandal, at 8:00 am AM, the police intercepted a container lorry which was travelling from Kothagudem towards Khammam.
Upon inspecting the container, the police discovered 96 packets of government-prohibited Ganja. The total seizure amounts to 499 kgs of Ganja, with an estimated market value of Rs 2,50,00,000/- (Two Crore Fifty Lakh Rupees).
Following the inspection, a case was registered against the two accused, who were arrested. Additionally, a case was also registered against individuals who sold and purchased the Ganja. Later, the two individuals in the lorry were taken into custody immediately.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Jagadish Dayaram Patil from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, and Sanju Kumar, a 49-year-old lorry owner and driver from the Bidar district in Karnataka. However, two other accused individuals, Amit Rohidas Patil, a ganja purchaser and transporter from Maharashtra, and Hari Jaipur, a ganja seller from Odisha, are currently absconding.
According to the Superintendent of Police, the investigation revealed that Jagadish Dayaram Patil and Amit Rohidas Patil jointly purchased prohibited Ganja from Hari in the forest area near Nellipaka, Andhra Pradesh.
After the purchase, they loaded the Ganja onto a container lorry owned by Sanju Kumar and were transporting it to Jaipur, Rajasthan. Jagadish Dayaram Patil and Sanju Kumar, who were in the truck, were apprehended by the authorities. Sanju Kumar, the owner and driver of the container, had agreed to transport the Ganja for Rs 4.5 lakhs and had already received an advance payment of Rs 1.5 lakhs from Amit Rohidas Patil.
Additionally, Jagadish Dayaram Patil had an agreement with Amit Rohidas Patil to assist in the purchase and transport of the Ganja for Rs 50,000. Earlier, in April 2024, Jagadish Dayaram Patil had been arrested by Paderu Police while transporting 6 kg of Ganja in a car alongside two other individuals. Furthermore, in December 2024, Sanju Kumar was also caught transporting Ganja with two others and was arrested by Aurad Police in Bidar District.
According to the Superintendent of Police, the arrested individuals had been involved in the Ganja business for a long time. (ANI)