On Monday, Telangana Police uncovered a major ganja smuggling operation, seizing 499 kilograms of ganja valued at Rs 2.5 crore. The haul included 96 packets of government-prohibited ganja, discovered inside a container lorry.
The Superintendent of Police of Bhadradri Kothagudem revealed that authorities received reliable information about two suspects transporting ganja illegally from Maharashtra and Karnataka. The vehicle was moving from Bhadrachalam towards Jaipur, Rajasthan, passing through Kothagudem and Khammam.
Acting on the tip, CCS Police and Sub-Inspector Rama Devi from Sujathanagar carried out a joint vehicle check near Annapurna Bakery in Sujathanagar Mandal at 8:00 AM. During the inspection of the container lorry heading towards Khammam, police found the prohibited ganja packets.
Following the seizure, the police arrested Jagadish Dayaram Patil from Jalgaon, Maharashtra, and Sanju Kumar, the 49-year-old lorry owner and driver from Bidar district, Karnataka. Both are now in custody, while two other accused—Amit Rohidas Patil, a ganja purchaser and transporter from Maharashtra, and Hari Jaipur, a ganja seller from Odisha—remain at large.
The investigation disclosed that Jagadish Patil and Amit Rohidas Patil purchased the banned ganja from Hari near Nellipaka forest, Andhra Pradesh. The ganja was loaded into the container lorry owned by Sanju Kumar, who agreed to transport the drugs to Jaipur for Rs 4.5 lakh, receiving Rs 1.5 lakh in advance.
Jagadish Patil was to assist Amit Rohidas Patil in the transaction for Rs 50,000. Notably, both Jagadish Patil and Sanju Kumar have prior arrests related to ganja transport — Jagadish was arrested in April 2024 near Paderu for carrying 6 kg of ganja, while Sanju Kumar was caught in December 2024 in Bidar district during a similar offense.
According to the Superintendent of Police, these individuals have been deeply involved in the illegal ganja trade for a considerable time.
