HYDERABAD: The EAGLE Force has arrested a 51-year-old woman, Kalapathi Nithu Bai, notorious as the ‘ganja queen’, for her alleged involvement in a large-scale ganja trafficking network operating since 2017. Police said around 30 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Prohibition and Excise Act had been registered against her and her family members, including her son and daughter, between 2017 and 2026 at various police stations and Excise units.
The investigation revealed that she had allegedly acquired several properties using proceeds from drug trafficking. These include two G+3 buildings in Langer Houz, a G+2 building in Gachibowli and additional constructions at her residence in upscale Nanakramguda, where she reportedly lives in a five-storey building.
During questioning, she reportedly told police, “Ganja trafficking is our only source of income. That is why we continue the business despite several cases being registered against me and my family members by the police and Excise officials.”
An EAGLE Force official told TNIE that the Preventive Detention (PD) Act had been invoked against her on several occasions. In June 2024, the Gachibowli police invoked the Act against her, which she challenged in the High Court. The detention order was subsequently revoked, and she was released on bail. “We will invoke the PD Act against her again,” the official said.
Officials said she had been involved in around 12 cases over the past two years and was absconding in 13 cases. She allegedly kept shifting between Nanakramguda, Gachibowli and Langar Houz to evade arrest. After sustained efforts, the EAGLE Force traced and arrested her on Friday. She was subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Police said she had continued her alleged drug trade after securing bail, despite being arrested and remanded to judicial custody on several occasions. During the investigation, officials also found that she had allegedly received Rs 24 lakh in a single day.
The family members were allegedly involved in different aspects of the trafficking network. In August 2023, Golconda police arrested her son while he was allegedly smuggling 22 kg of ganja. Accounts belonging to Nithu Bai, some of her family members and their Jayalakshmi Kirana and General Store were reportedly frozen during earlier investigations.
The police are examining financial transactions, property ownership and sources of funds to establish links between the suspected drug proceeds and the family’s assets.