Three individuals were arrested by the Telangana Elite Action Group for Drug Enforcement (EAGLE) while transporting 36.878 kilograms of ganja from Odisha to Karimnagar and Hyderabad for illegal sale.
Acting on a tip-off, a special team nabbed the two accused who were traveling on a motorcycle towards Karimnagar via Warangal. Among those arrested are Buchala Aditya alias Indra (20), a third-year B.Tech (CSE) student, and Gollapalli Nikhil alias Chintu (19), an intermediate second-year student, both residents of Karimnagar. During the operation, the police also arrested Vadlakonda Yeswantha alias Minta at Godavarikhani in Peddapalli district. Yeswanth was earlier involved in two NDPS cases.
Police seized 36.878 kilograms of ganja worth around ₹18.43 crore along with a motorcycle used for transportation and a mobile phone.
Investigation revealed that the accused procured ganja from Odisha-based suppliers at ₹2,000 per kilogram and transported it for distribution among students in Karimnagar and Hyderabad. The funds for the purchase were allegedly collected from a group of eight friends for both personal consumption and resale.
During preliminary interrogation, Aditya admitted that he developed an addiction during his first year of engineering and gradually shifted from consumption to peddling. Police said this is the fourth case since January 2025 that the group has been procuring ganja from Odisha. In an earlier case registered by the Karimnagar I police, Aditya was arrested and later released on bail at the station.
A case has been registered at the Warangal police station narcotics under Section 20(b)(ii)(C), 27A and 29 of the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Act. The arrested accused were produced before the court while special teams were formed to track down the remaining accomplices identified as Bhagavan, Kalavena Praveen Kumar alias Chanti, both contractors from Odisha, and Ammula Trinesh, Sundaragiri Sanjay, Ajay, Sidhu, Sridhar and Sundaragiri Eshwar, all students who contributed money to the smuggling.
EAGLE Force officials have expressed concern that some students are rapidly transitioning from consumers to peddlers and suppliers, adversely affecting educational institutions and fellow students. They also noted a lack of timely messages from families and community members.
Officials have appealed to the public for cooperation and urged citizens to report information related to drug consumption or drug dealing through the toll-free helpline 1908, WhatsApp number 87126 71111 or the official email, assuring that the identity of the informers will be kept confidential.
Published – 18 Feb 2026 20:42 IST