HYDERABAD: In yet another instance of a minor being used as a courier by drug peddlers to evade police scrutiny, the EAGLE Force, in coordination with the SR Nagar police, apprehended a 17-year-old boy for allegedly transporting ganja across states.
Police said the boy, a native of Thane district in Maharashtra, was found in possession of 10 kilograms of ganja, valued at about `5 lakh. Investigators believe he was recruited by a Mumbai-based drug network to act as a mule for interstate trafficking, exploiting his age to reduce the risk of detection.
According to the police, during the last week of December 2025, Shafiullah Shaik approached the minor with an offer of Rs 1,500, asking him to travel to Odisha under the pretext of transporting a tempo. Trusting the offer, the boy travelled to Malkangiri, where he met Mehfuz and stayed for two days.
A senior EAGLE official said Mehfuz later brought the boy to Hyderabad, where they stayed at a lodge. The plan was to send the minor back to Maharashtra by bus with the contraband. On January 4, Mehfuz handed over a bag containing five packets of ganja wrapped in brown tape to the boy and instructed him to board a bus.
Before he could leave, the minor was apprehended near the Nature Cure Hospital. Mehfuz managed to escape and is suspected to have fled to Odisha by the Visakha Express. Police said Mehfuz, Shafiullah Shaik and Khala are absconding.
Officials said the case highlights a pattern in which drug syndicates increasingly use juveniles as carriers, placing them at legal and personal risk while attempting to bypass law enforcement. The minor, along with the seized material, has been handed over to the SR Nagar police for further investigation.