STF arrests two, seizes ganja in Saroornagar and Dhoolpet crackdown
Hyderabad: The Special Task Force (STF) seized ganja in two separate operations carried out in Saroornagar and Dhoolpet. In the first case, 3 kilograms of ganja were seized from a man in the Almasguda area under the limits of Saroornagar Excise Station. The accused, Sabavath Hanuma, a native of Chintha Tanda village in P.A. Pally Mandal of Nalgonda district, was reportedly selling the contraband locally.
The operation was conducted by STF C Team Sub-Inspector Shobharani and her staff. Following the seizure, the accused and the ganja were handed over to the Saroornagar Excise Station for further action, STF C Team Circle Inspector Venkateshwarlu confirmed.
In a separate case, STF A Team raided a residence in Dhoolpet based on a tip-off and seized 1.126 kilograms of ganja. A woman identified as Mayabai was arrested. Team Leader Anji Reddy stated that Baldev Singh was also found to be involved, and a case has been registered against him. The arrested woman was handed over to the Dhoolpet Excise Station.
In a separate operation earlier, the Special Operations Team (SOT) of LB Nagar Zone, along with Hayath Nagar police, busted an interstate ganja trafficking racket. Four men were arrested and 166 kilograms of dry ganja, worth approximately ₹50 lakh, was seized.
The accused were identified as Vikas Baban Salve, 30, a painter from Ahmednagar; Ranganath Yurajn Sadve, 36, and Amol Narayan Borde, 26, both agriculturists from Aurangabad; and Sagar Gajanan Khandebharad, 29, a Central Government railway employee from Buldhana, all hailing from Maharashtra.
Police said Vikas, who has a non-bailable warrant pending in a previous NDPS case, came into contact with a supplier known as Maik alias Rahul alias Dass from Odisha. Facing financial difficulties, he planned to traffic ganja from Odisha to Maharashtra via Hyderabad. He roped in his three acquaintances with the promise of quick profits.
On June 20, 2025, acting on a tip-off, the SOT and Hayath Nagar police intercepted a Force Trax Cruiser near Dhananjaya Function Hall, Hayath Nagar, and arrested the four. Police seized 166 kilograms of dry ganja, four mobile phones, ₹6,200 in cash, and the vehicle used in the operation. The total value of the seized items is estimated at ₹65 lakh.
Investigations revealed that the ganja was sourced from Rahul in Kurumanur village, Malkangiri district of Odisha. Rahul is currently absconding, and efforts are ongoing to trace him. Police are also checking the criminal backgrounds of the accused, noting that Ranganath also has a pending non-bailable warrant in an NDPS case.
