Hyderabad: Telangana Excise officials seized 123 kg of dry ganja worth ₹45 lakh and arrested two men who were transporting it from Odisha to Maharashtra through Sangareddy district. The raid took place at Cheyyar Gate on the national highway near Kandi.
Sangareddy Excise Deputy Commissioner Harikishan announced the arrests at a press conference on Monday. He identified the accused as Abdul Wahab (59) of Beed district in Maharashtra and Umakant Sabar (37) from Odisha.
Ganja concealed in cars
The accused packed the ganja in two cars, hiding the bundles to avoid detection. Acting on a tip-off, excise personnel intercepted the vehicles while they were en route to Beed. Officials recovered 123 kilograms of ganja, two cars, and two mobile phones during the search. The accused admitted they were transporting the contraband to Maharashtra.
Remand and investigation
Deputy Commissioner Harikishan said the court remanded both men to judicial custody. He added that investigators are tracing the wider network and supply chain from Odisha. Excise officials noted that narcotics smuggling through Telangana’s highways continues to pose a challenge, with organised gangs repeatedly attempting to move consignments from the Andhra–Odisha border to Maharashtra.
Team behind the operation
Excise Superintendent Naveen Chandra led the raid along with Circle Inspectors Shankar and Nazeer Pasha. Sub-Inspectors Hanumanth, Anudeep, Srinivasa Reddy, Satish and Dileep Kumar Reddy, and constables Subhash, Pandari, Prabhakar, Aruna Jyothi and Anil Reddy also took part.
