KHAMMAM: A minor boy was among four drug peddlers nabbed during a joint operation by EAGLE Force’s Khammam Regional Narcotics Control Cell (RNCC) and Bhadradri Kothagudem district police near the west gate of the ITC Paper Boards Company at Sarapaka, close to Bhadrachalam, on Tuesday. They also seized 525 kg of ganja worth about `2.62 crore, the container lorry used to transport the contraband, a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle used as an escort vehicle, five mobile phones and `10,570 in cash.
Police arrested Sahadev Hantal (20) of Malkangiri district, Odisha, Dogri Trinath (38) of Somireddypalem in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, Kuldeep Sharma (27) of Bijapur, Uttar Pradesh, and the juvenile.
According to SP B Rohith Raju, the prime accused, Sahadev, procured the ganja from the Allurikota forest area in Odisha. Labourers were allegedly hired to transport the contraband from the forest to Mothugudem-Tulasipaka in Andhra Pradesh, where it was loaded into a container lorry owned by Mohammed Saif and Firoz Bhai.
The SP said the smugglers had fabricated a concealed chamber inside the container to hide the ganja bags and evade police detection.
The consignment was allegedly being transported from Tulasipaka through Bhadrachalam, Khammam, Warangal and Adilabad to Maharashtra before its final destination in Uttar Pradesh. Acting on credible intelligence, Eagle Force and Bhadradri police tracked the movements of the container lorry and the escort motorcycle before intercepting them at Sarapaka. Eagle Force said four other suspects — Mohammed Saif, Firoz Bhai, Raja Mishra and Mohammed Imran — are absconding and efforts are on to trace them.
Official data reveals that an average of 40 students were booked in narcotics-related cases monthly across Telangana in 2026. Highlighting the growing threat of drug abuse, EAGLE officials expressed concern over the increasing number of youth and students falling victim to narcotics, leading to criminal activity and other anti-social behaviour. SP Rohith Raju urged young people and students to stay away from drugs and appealed to parents to closely monitor their children’s activities to prevent substance abuse.
