In a joint operation by the Eagle team and local police led by Balaji Nagar Circle Inspector K Sambasiva Rao, a 51-year-old man was arrested for allegedly smuggling ganja in Nellore. The police seized 22-kg ganja and a Maruthi Swift car (AP10 AY 5649) from him at SVGS College Grounds on Sunday.
The accused has been identified as Beekara Prakash, also known as B Suryaprakash, a resident of Krishna Nagar, Rajahmundry, East Godavari district.
According to Inspector General R K Ravikrishna, the raid followed a tip-off. The accused attempted to drive the car toward police, prompting Balaji Nagar CI Sambasiva Rao to fire two rounds. Constable Payon Firoz was injured during the incident and was admitted to Government General Hospital (GGH) in Nellore.
Investigations revealed that Prakash sourced ganja from Alluri Sitharama Raju district and sold it in Nellore city. He is reportedly linked to previous ganja smuggling cases in East Godavari, Eluru, and Nellore districts.
The IG highlighted two ongoing anti-narcotics initiatives: Operation Eagle, targeting ganja smuggling on trains, and Operation Garuda, aimed at seizing unauthorized drugs from medical stores. Under Operation Eagle, a total of 23,000 kg of ganja has been seized to date.
Authorities have urged citizens to report ganja smuggling anonymously to aid enforcement.
Additional SP CH Soujanya, Nellore City DSP Sindhu Priya, and other officials were present at the raid.
