Hyderabad: Fourteen drug consumers were arrested from Hyderabad’s Gachibowli area by the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) on Saturday, July 12.
The accused are: Naveen, 31 who works in online trade; Ayush, 22, who is a student; Nikhil, 29, who works as an engineer; Sindura, 26, an architect by profession; Hasan, 34, who is a property dealer; Krant, 28, an IT professional; Akhil, 28, a dental technician; Shiva, 32, a business relationship manager, Sandesh, 34, who is an as agency owner; Sai Raj, 31 a sales executive; Akhil, 26, a travel agent; Swam, 27, a driver and Thushar, 24, an IT professional.
Based on a tip-off, the EAGLE identified the drug supplier, who is a resident of Gachibowli and a native of Maharashtra. The supplier. whose name has not been disclosed, frequented the HDFC Bank branch at Gachibowli and sold ganja to clients.
The supplier transported approximately 5 kilograms of ganja in 100 packets, each weighing 50 grams, at Rs 3,000 per packet. The supplier maintained a list of over 100 clients with their contact details. His mode of communication was WhatsApp using a coded message: “Bhai baccha a gaya bhai,” indicating his arrival and the availability of the substance.
On July 12, EAGLE formed multiple surveillance and decoy teams comprising officers in plain clothes. They strategically positioned themselves around the HDFC Bank to arrest the drug supplier and his clients.
A couple, along with their four-year-old son, also came to purchase ganja. Officials arrested the father after he tested positive, while the woman and her baby were let off.
“In a span of two hours, a total of 14 individuals were apprehended for purchasing ganja. All tested positive through the use of Urine Drug Testing kits. We have sent them to certified drug de-addiction centers for treatment and rehabilitation,” said a press release.
Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the main peddler, who evaded capture during the operation.
Technical teams of EAGLE are analyzing the WhatsApp communication logs, phone numbers, and digital evidence collected from the clients’ mobiles to trace the supply network. The database of over 100 customers is being examined to uncover the broader distribution and demand network.
The positive identification of 14 consumers and the data seized from them are expected to aid in dismantling a larger drug supply network.
“All the remaining 86 consumers, better to go for de addiction rather than EAGLE sending them,” the press release warned.
The operation conducted by EAGLE has successfully disrupted a critical local distribution point of ganja in Gachibowli, targeting a nexus catering to working professionals. Continued surveillance and targeted operations are planned to eliminate the presence of narcotic substances in the IT corridor and its surrounding neighbourhoods.
