Hyderabad: Police in SR Nagar apprehended Maniel Dalabhera and Ismail Raita on Wednesday, February 11, seizing 70kg of ganja valued at approximately Rs 35 lakh.
Maniel Dalabhera, a 30-year-old resident of Odisha’s Gajpathi district, had been cultivating ganja in his village with assistance from his cousin Rinita Raita.
The second accused, Ismail Raita, also from Odisha, had moved to Hyderabad with his wife in November 2024 in search of work and briefly worked as a technician in Medchal. According to police, Ismail was contacted by Rinita, who informed him about Dalabhera’s ganja cultivation and asked him to find potential buyers in Hyderabad.
Since then, Ismail reportedly sold drugs in the Dhoolpet area with support from Dalabhera and Rinita, forming a small trafficking network spanning Odisha and Telangana. Police investigations are ongoing to identify additional buyers and other participants in the operation.
