Interstate ganja smuggling racket busted at Secunderabad station

Hyderabad: Secunderabad Railway Police, along with the EAGLE team and RPF, busted an interstate ganja smuggling racket on Thursday night. They arrested a 20-year-old agricultural labourer from Andhra Pradesh with over 21.44 kilograms of dry ganja valued at ₹10.72 lakh.

During a surprise anti-drug operation at Secunderabad Railway Station on September 18, officials stopped the accused while he waited for the Konark Express. A Narco dog alerted officers to his luggage. When questioned, he admitted that the trolley suitcase and backpack contained ganja.

Ganja smuggling racket tracked through train movement

The accused, Poojari Shiva of Bondam village in Araku Valley, planned to deliver the consignment in Thane. He had boarded the Visakha Express from Visakhapatnam the previous day. During questioning, Shiva confessed to smuggling ganja on earlier occasions as well.

He came into contact with the key handler, Vijay Chandra alias Rolex, while staying at his sister’s home in Kancharapalem. Tempted by a ₹5,000 reward per trip, Shiva joined the smuggling operation. In 2024 and again in August 2025, he transported ganja from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai and Kalyan.

According to police, Vijay Chandra had directed him to collect a fresh consignment on September 17. Two women delivered a trolley and backpack containing 10 packets of ganja roughly 22 kilograms. Shiva was to deliver it to Ashish Kumar in Thane.

Police recover contraband and launch manhunt for absconders

Police seized 21.443 kilograms of dry ganja, a mobile phone, and a train ticket from Shiva’s possession. They booked a case and launched efforts to track down the absconding handlers Vijay Chandra of Alluri Sitarama Raju district and Ashish Kumar of Barhampur, Odisha.

The arrest operation involved a coordinated effort by GRP officers Sri B. Saieashwar Goud and Sri SV Subba Reddy, supported by the RPF dog squad and EAGLE team members. Smt. Chandana Deepti, IPS, supervised the action. IGP Railway and Road Safety, Sri K. Ramesh Naidu, IPS, lauded the team and announced rewards.