Wanted ‘ganja queen’ Neethu Bai arrested after year-long manhunt

Kalapathi Neethu Bai, also known as the ‘Queen of Ganja’, was arrested by the EAGLE Force on Thursday (November 5). | Photo credit: By arrangement

Wanted drug kingpin Kalapathi Neethu Bai (48), who is linked to a network involved in alleged marijuana trafficking through Hyderabad and Cyberabad, was arrested by the Telangana Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) in Asif Nagar on Thursday. She had been on the run for over a year.

Acting on a tip, EAGLE personnel tracked her down to the hideout. No narcotic substances were found on her, although cash in the amount of CZK 1,000 was secured. An officer from the EAGLE Force said that 63 consumers who bought marijuana through its network had previously been identified and sent to rehab.

Known as the ‘Ganja Queen’, Neethu Bai and her family members ran an organized distribution network, buying marijuana in bulk from suppliers and selling it in small bags to consumers in Hyderabad and Cyberabad.

One of the main cases against her dates back to August 2023, when she was arrested in connection with a commercial quantity of marijuana. During the investigation, the authorities identified ₹40.30 crore in cash, 16 bank accounts containing deposits of ₹1.53 crore and properties worth around ₹2 crore. This property was attached under the provisions of the NDPS Act.

On 13 March 2024, the then Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau, now EAGLE, along with the Gachibowli police raided her residence at Lodha Basti in Nanakramguda. The team seized 22.6 kg of marijuana, ₹22.10 crore in cash, two mobile phones and a UPI QR scanner. The total value of the seized property was estimated at ₹ 34.40 crore.

Neethu Bai has 31 cases listed against her in police records dating back to 2018. The cases include offenses under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) and the Telangana Excise Act, registered in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and other parts of Telangana.

Her drug dealing also caught the attention of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which raided three locations in Hyderabad in September as part of a money-laundering probe. The agency was investigating properties and financial transactions suspected of being linked to the proceeds of narcotics trafficking.

EAGLE is expected to question Neethu Bai about the supply chain, connected consumers and the revenue generated by human trafficking.

Published – 05 Nov 2026 21:18 IST