Four suspected drug peddlers from Maharashtra were arrested in Hyderabad’s Hayathnagar area on June 20, following the seizure of 166 kilograms of ganja valued at ₹50 lakh. The accused — Vikas Baban Salve (30), Ranganath Yurajn Sadve (36), Sagar Gajanan Khandebharad (29), and Amol Narayan Borde (26) — were intercepted by the Hayathnagar police and the Special Operations Team (SOT), LB Nagar Zone during a vehicle check near Dhananjaya Function Hall. Acting on a credible tip-off, law enforcement officials successfully disrupted what appeared to be an inter-state narcotics supply chain originating from Odisha.

Investigations revealed that the main accused, Vikas, had financial troubles and came into contact with a supplier named Maik alias Rahul from Odisha. Observing a high demand for ganja among laborers in Maharashtra, Vikas devised a plan to smuggle the drug from Odisha to Maharashtra using Hyderabad as a transit route. He brought in the three other accused to assist in transporting the narcotics. On June 19, the group collected the consignment from their Odisha contact but was caught during their passage through Hyderabad the next day.

All four have been booked under Section 8(c) read with Section 20(b)(II)(C) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Notably, both Vikas and Ranganath have a criminal history, with non-bailable warrants pending against them in previous NDPS-related cases. The police have intensified their investigation to track down the supplier and dismantle the broader drug network operating between Odisha, Hyderabad, and Maharashtra.