Police nets huge drug haul in city

Hyderabad: The sleuths of Special Operations Team (SOT) of Malkajgiri and Saroornagar police, in a joint operation, busted a drug racket and seized 1.5 kg of cocaine and heroin worth Rs one crore from the arrested five persons of the gang. The arrested were identified as Shaik Abed (48), M Omkar (27), K Rajashekar (27), G Chakradharacharyulu (48) and P Kanakaraju (34).

According to Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagawat, accused Shaik Abed, a resident of Nellore, came in contact with his friend Amjad (absconding), who is in the drug trafficking business. He told Abed that he knows one Suri Babu, a police officer, who was in illegal possession of narcotics worth crores of rupees. They decided to procure it and sell the same to customers.

Abed contacted Omkar of Nellore and told him about the 1.5-kg drugs including cocaine, heroin and chemical powder. He told him that the value of one gram of pure cocaine in the Goa market was Rs 10,000; one gram of heroin was Rs 8,000 and the total value of the narcotics in their possession could be about Rs 1 crore.

They requested him to look for buyers and he would give him his share amount. Omkar agreed for the deal with Abed and took the help of his friend Rajashekar in searching for the customers.

In the meantime, Omkar and Rajashekar came in contact with Kanakaraju of Vishakhapatnam, who had connection with one Chakradharacharyulu, a resident of Warangal and a priest by profession.

The trio discussed selling the drugs. They searched for customers in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad and other cities. Later, through their source they came in contact with a buyer in Hyderabad, the Commissioner added. Abed agreed and handed over the drug packets to Omkar, Rajashekar and Kanakaraju at Nellore and the trio started in a car from Nellore to Hyderabad.

On Saturday, during the wee hours when they reached the Karmanghat area, the police as routine checking stopped their vehicle and immediately two persons fled. Thus one person was caught and he disclosed his name as Kanakaraju and on checking the bags police found three sachets of cocaine, heroin and some chemical powder.

He voluntarily confessed to police that they brought the substance from Nellore for selling to the customers in Hyderabad and the two persons escaped were Omkar and Rajashekar and they were in possession of drugs.Immediately, he was taken into custody and two packets of 15grams of cocaine and heroin and 3.30grams of the chemical powder and one car were seized from his possession and he was produced in the court for judicial remand.

Subsequently, the other four accused Omkar, Rajashekar, Chakradharacharyulu and Abed were also apprehended and the remaining 1.440 kg of the narcotics was also seized from their possession. Police seized 1.5 kg drugs including 325 grams cocaine, 575 grams heroin and 600 grams chemical substance, all worth of Rs 1 crore in the black market, a car and six mobile phones from the accused.

The police commissioner said that the efforts were in progress to find out the source from where Amjad was procuring narcotics. Further investigation would be carried out to identify the drug peddlers and trace the kingpin of the racket.