Police are using innovative methods to find out where ganja can be grown, which has become a serious problem in the state.
Zaheerabad police used drones to identify areas of ganja cultivation and as of Tuesday sent a drone to take photos. However, no trace of ganja cultivation has been brought to their attention.
“We used drones to research ganja cultivation in Vithanaik tanda, Mirjampally tanda, Upparpally tanda and Jangorepally tanda about a week ago. Recently on Tuesday we flew them to Sunnabatti tanda, Padigan tanda and Mandagubbadi tanda. All these tandas are for the most part bordered by the regions of Karnataka. As the ganja frequently comes from nearby places, we searched these areas. However, we did not find any culture of ganja, ”said Mr. M. Viswanatham, deputy inspector of Chiragpally, who was involved in the search for ganja. The raid was led by the inspector of the Zaheerabad circle, P Rajasekhar.
One of the officials said on condition of anonymity that Bidar had become a hub for transporting ganja to other states and that it only passed through Zaheerabad.
Police and excise officials have been more vigilant in recent months after cases of seizure of ganja have increased. At least two incidents have been reported in the district capital in the recent past. In September and October, the excise department registered six cases of dry ganja and arrested 12 people. No less than 103.35 kilograms of dry ganja were seized by them in addition to the confiscation of six vehicles. Coming to the ganja factories, two people were arrested and 4,650 factories were destroyed.
In a large collection in 2018 and 2019, excise officials seized up to 828 kilograms of dry ganja in three cases, including two at Muttangi Toll Plaza of Outer Ring Road (ORR) located in Patancheru. Another case concerns Yelgoi in Jarasangam mandal where 120 kilograms of dry ganja were seized.
Alprazolam, cash seized
Officials from the Prohibition and Excise Department seized three kilograms of Alprazolam and arrested two people. About 500 grams of Alprazolam were seized on Tuesday from a car in Kallakal village of Manoharabad mandal in Medak district. According to KAB Sastry, Deputy Commissioner, based on information provided by car driver Tallapally Venu, excise officials searched the Saptagiri lodge near Secunderabad station and seized 2.5 kilograms of Alprazolam from Roop Singh , a resident of the village of Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. It has been identified as the main supplier of Alprazolam. The cost of the substance was declared at ₹ 21 lakh while ₹ 26 lakh was entered.
