A 17-year-old boy was arrested by Telangana’s Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE Force) along with the S.R. Nagar police at the Nature Cure Hospital MMTS station in Hyderabad for carrying 10 kilograms of ganja, valued at around Rs 5 lakh in the illegal market.
The arrest has brought to light a worrying trend in which Mumbai-based drug syndicates are increasingly using juveniles to transport narcotics in an attempt to bypass law enforcement scrutiny.
Based on specific intelligence, a joint police team intercepted the minor on January 5 while he was waiting to board a train to Mumbai. A search of his sky-blue travel bag led to the recovery of five packets of ganja, neatly wrapped in brown tape, along with other incriminating materials indicating an organised trafficking operation.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the teenager, a Mumbai resident working as a tempo cleaner, was drawn into the racket due to financial hardship. Police said the main accused, Hazi Shafiullah Shaik, allegedly lured the boy in late December 2025 by offering him Rs 1,500 under the pretext of transporting a tempo to Odisha.
The minor travelled to Malkangiri, where he met another operative, Mehfuz, who later directed him to Hyderabad. At the Nature Cure MMTS station, Mehfuz allegedly handed over the ganja-laden bag and instructed the boy to deliver it to Shaik’s mother-in-law, identified only as Khala, in Mumbai.
The juvenile has been handed over to the S.R. Nagar police. A case has been registered under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(B), and 29 of the NDPS Act, along with Section 78 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, which addresses the exploitation of children for illegal activities.
Police have launched a manhunt for the three Mumbai-based accused—Shaik, Mehfuz, and Khala. Officials described the use of minors as a “dangerous and desperate tactic” adopted by drug syndicates to evade intensified surveillance at transit hubs.
“This case is a stark warning. These syndicates are not only violating the law but also ruining the lives of vulnerable children for profit,” a senior EAGLE Force officer said.
