Police seize 166.36 kg ganja and arrest labourer in Sathupalli

Sathupalli police and the EAGLE team seized 166.36 kg of ganja worth Rs 89.13 lakh and arrested a labourer from Odisha who was transporting the contraband to Hyderabad. Police have launched a manhunt for two other accused in the case.

Khammam: Sathupalli police in the district have seized 166.36 kg of ganja and arrested a labourer who was transporting the contraband. In a statement on Saturday, Sathupalli Inspector of Police T Srihari informed that following a tip-off about the transportation of ganja from Odisha to Hyderabad, vehicle checks were conducted at Sathupalli on Friday by the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) team and the local police.

During the checks, a car was intercepted and its driver, Prabin Bhatra of Malkangiri district in Odisha, was taken into custody after 80 packets of ganja were found in the vehicle. The value of the seized ganja was estimated at Rs 89.13 lakh. He was hired by Odisha-based ganja supplier Bikari alias Rohan for Rs 10,000 to deliver the consignment to a person in Hyderabad. Police also seized the car used for transporting the ganja, one mobile phone and Rs 500 in cash from the driver.

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Teams have been formed to nab two others, Bikari and Chukka Nageswara Rao of Nandyal in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, who are accused in the case. The driver was booked under the NDPS Act and remanded to judicial custody on Saturday, the Inspector said.