11 kg of ganja worth ₹ 5.5 lakh which was seized from a man near Cherlapally railway station. | Photo credit: By arrangement
Eight people were arrested in a series of coordinated raids by officials from the Telangana Excise and Prohibition Department in Hyderabad on Saturday. Officials seized nearly 16 kg of ganja and 39 bottles of duty-free alcohol.
In the biggest raid of the day, an enforcement team from Rangareddy seized 11 kg of ganja worth around ₹ 5.5 lakh near Cherlapally railway station after receiving information that the contraband was being transported from Odisha.
The official said the accused Pushpala Varun, a resident of Mallapur, had allegedly traveled to Odisha’s Rayagada district, bought the cloth and brought it back by train. He was apprehended as he tried to disembark and head towards Mallapur. The seized ganja was later handed over to Excise Station Ghatkesar for further investigation.
In a separate operation, the State Task Force (STF) B team arrested a couple, Suraj and Rupa from Odisha’s Malkangiri district, who were transporting 3 kg of ganja meant for suppliers in Hyderabad.
Acting on a tip-off, the team intercepted a bus coming from Odisha at LB Nagar Junction and recovered two packets of ganja from the bags of the duo. The contraband was handed over to Saroornagar Excise Station.
Meanwhile, the STF D team raided a boys’ hostel at Addagutta, KPHB where 423 gm ganja was seized from a man identified as Medari Arun Kumar of Zaheerabad in Sangareddy.
Officials said another accused, identified as Santosh, was absconding. The seized substance was handed over to Kukatpally Excise Station for further investigation.
At Manguru Basti near Nampally railway station in Mallepally, the STF-A team arrested four people after seizing 1.5 kg of ganja.
The accused have been identified as C. Mangaraj, Saddam Khan, K. Radha and L. Aarti. Three mobile phones and bicycles were also found.
Cases were registered against four others, including Mohammed Rizwan, Heena Begum, Gausia and Kamrerohitulu, who are currently absconding. The seized materials were handed over to Nampally consumption station.
The STF-A team that seized 38 bottles of duty-free liquor brought to Hyderabad on flights from Goa and Delhi. | Photo credit: By arrangement
Apart from the narcotics cases, the STF-A team seized 38 bottles of duty-free liquor brought to Hyderabad by flights from Goa and Delhi. The bottles, booked in two separate crates, were intercepted near the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad and handed over to the Meerpet consumption station.
Published – 06 Dec 2025 19:02 IST
