Four held with 21kg ganja in Habeebnagar

Hyderabad: Habeebnagar police arrested four people, including two alleged interstate suppliers from Maharashtra, and seized 21kg of dried ganja, ₹25,000 cash and four mobile phones from them on September 12. Police said they received reliable information around noon that two men from Maharashtra would arrive at Mangal Basti to sell ganja. Acting on the instructions [...] <p class="isSelectedEnd"><strong>Hyderabad:</strong> Habeebnagar police arrested four people, including two alleged interstate suppliers from Maharashtra, and seized 21kg of dried ganja, ₹25,000 cash and four mobile phones from them on September 12.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Police said they received reliable information around noon that two men from Maharashtra would arrive at Mangal Basti to sell ganja. Acting on the instructions of senior officers, Habeebnagar police conducted a raid and arrested the four accused.</p> <h3>Two Maharashtra suppliers brought ganja to Hyderabad</h3> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at Habeebnagar police station under Crime No. 228/2026.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">The accused were identified as Sandeep Nand Kishore Bhongade (A-1), a grocery trader from Maharashtra, and Rahul Rajesh Patil (A-2), an X-ray technician from Maharashtra. Police also arrested their alleged local associates, Kamble Umesh (A-3), a bond worker from Mallepally’s Mangal Basti in Hyderabad, and Kamble Suraj (A-4), a Swiggy delivery worker.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Police seized 11kg of ganja and ₹10,000 cash from A-1, who was carrying the contraband in a blue briefcase. Another 10kg of ganja, ₹15,000 cash and four mobile phones were seized from A-2’s jute bag.</p> <h3>Police say accused planned local distribution</h3> <p class="isSelectedEnd">According to police, A-1 and A-2 purchased 21kg of ganja in Maharashtra at ₹20,000 per kg and brought it to Hyderabad on September 11.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">They allegedly handed over the ganja to local peddlers A-3 and A-4 for sale at ₹40,000 per kg. The two local accused allegedly stored the contraband in a house in Mangal Basti and were preparing to distribute it to local customers when police conducted the raid.</p> <p class="isSelectedEnd">Senior officers commended Habeebnagar inspector T Purushotham Rao, sub-inspector M Ashok Kumar and their team for detecting the interstate ganja supply network.</p> Police said strict action would continue against the supply, storage and sale of ganja and other narcotic substances in the area. They appealed to the public to share information about the transportation, storage or sale of narcotic substances, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept confidential.