SCR seizes 780 kg ganja in less than a month

Secunderabad: In what appears to be the handiwork of a massive network, huge quantity of contrabands has been transported from parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to major cities in the north.

A special team of South Central Railway (SCR) recovered around 780 kilograms of ganja (marijuana) and arrested 39 while transporting it to Mumbai, Pune, Solapur and Delhi in the last 25 days alone. The SCR special teams recovered as much as 1,551 kg marijuana from January till now.

In charge of the special team Rajendra Prasad said till now they had recovered 1,551 kg of marijuana out of which 780 kg was recovered in the last 25 days.

He said 62 people had been arrested and majority of the arrest had been made at the Secunderabad Railway Station and 36 cases had been registered. Marijuana was being transported from Visakhapatnam and some parts of Odisha to Mumbai, Pune, Solapur and Delhi, he added.

Rajendra Prasad said for inspection, special teams were deployed in trains including Konark Express, Lokmanya Tilak Express, Andhra Pradesh Express and Navajeevan Express as majority of marijuana was being transported in these trains.

He also said smugglers bought marijuana at Rs 2,000 per kg and sold them at Rs 15,000 per kg in Mumbai, Pune, Solapur and Delhi. Apart from this, in July the special teams rescued about 98 child labourers at various railway stations who were involved in the drug peddling, he said. According to the official, marijuana crops are grown during summer in Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border and transported to other States during monsoon.