EAGLE Force apprehends juvenile with 10 kg of ganja in Hyderabad

Hyderabad police and EAGLE Force arrested a 17-year-old at Nature Cure Hospital railway station for attempting to transport 10 kg of ganja, worth ₹5 lakh, to Mumbai. The juvenile was exploited by a Mumbai-based drug syndicate, and investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining accused

Hyderabad: The EAGLE Force on Tuesday said it had apprehended a juvenile at a railway station here for allegedly attempting to transport 10 kg of ganja, valued at around Rs 5 lakh, to Mumbai.

Acting on credible information, the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement Force, in coordination with the S R Nagar police, conducted a joint operation and apprehended the 17-year-old at the Nature Cure Hospital railway station on January 5, a press release said.

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The juvenile was allegedly being used by Mumbai-based drug syndicates for interstate drug trafficking.

“The use of juveniles for drug trafficking is a serious offence that has the potential to harm the youth of the country. To evade police scrutiny, drug syndicates have adopted this new modus operandi,” it added.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

During the investigation, it was revealed that drug suppliers exploited the juvenile, who works as a tempo cleaner in Mumbai.

In the last week of December, the main accused allegedly instructed the boy to travel to Odisha under the pretext of transporting a tempo and offered him Rs 1,500 as remuneration.

Trusting the offer, the juvenile travelled to Malkangiri in Odisha, where he met a drug supplier. He was subsequently directed to come to the Nature Cure Hospital railway station, where he was handed a travel bag containing five packets of ganja.

The juvenile was instructed to board a train to Mumbai and deliver the bag to another accused. However, while waiting to board the train on January 5, he was apprehended by the police.

Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused, the release further said.