Three arrested, 36.8 kg ganja seized by EAGLE Force in Warangal

Three individuals were arrested by the Telangana Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Force while transporting 36.878 kilograms of ganja from Odisha to Karimnagar and Hyderabad for illegal sale.

Acting on a tip off, a special team intercepted two accused who were travelling on a motorcycle towards Karimnagar via Warangal. The arrested include Buchala Aditya alias Indra, 20, a third-year B.Tech (CSE) student, and Gollapalli Nikhil alias Chintu, 19, an Intermediate second-year student, both residents of Karimnagar. During the operation, police also arrested Vadlakonda Yeswanth alias Mintu at Godavarikhani in Peddapalli district. Yeswanth was previously involved in two NDPS cases.

Police seized 36.878 kilograms of ganja valued at approximately ₹18.43 lakh, along with the motorcycle used for transportation, and a mobile phone.

Investigations revealed that the accused procured ganja from suppliers based in Odisha at ₹2,000 per kilogram and were transporting it for distribution among students in Karimnagar and Hyderabad. Funds for the purchase were allegedly pooled from a group of eight friends for both personal consumption and resale.

During preliminary interrogation, Aditya admitted developing an addiction during his first year of engineering and gradually moving from consumption to peddling. Police said this was the fourth instance since January 2025 that the group had sourced ganja from Odisha. In an earlier case registered by Karimnagar I-Town police, Aditya was arrested and later released on station bail.

A case has been registered at the Warangal Narcotics Police Station under Sections 20(b)(ii)(C), 27A and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. The arrested accused were produced before a court, while special teams have been formed to trace the remaining associates identified as Bhagavan, Kalavena Praveen Kumar alias Chanti, both suppliers from Odisha, and Ammula Trinesh, Sundaragiri Sanjay, Ajay, Sidhu, Sridhar and Sundaragiri Eshwar, all students who contributed money for the contraband.

EAGLE Force officials expressed concern that some students were rapidly transitioning from consumers to peddlers and suppliers, adversely impacting educational institutions and fellow students. They also noted a lack of timely reporting by families and community members.

Appealing to the public for cooperation, officials urged citizens to report information related to drug consumption or trafficking through its toll-free helpline 1908, WhatsApp number 87126 71111, or official email, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept confidential.