Rachakonda police arrest five inter-state drug peddlers

HYDERABAD: Five interstate drug peddlers were arrested by Rachakonda police on Tuesday for transporting Narcotics drugs from Rajasthan to Hyderabad. The police also seized 45 grams of heroin and other items valued at Rs 35 lakh.

The Special Operations Team (SOT), LB Nagar Zone team, and Medipally police apprehended interstate drug peddlers Pravin Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, and three consumers, Sravan Kumar, Raju Ram, and Ashok Kumar, from Sharwan Kumar's residence in Kranthi Colony, Medipally police station limits.

According to the police, the accused were trying to earn easy money by supplying drugs to the needy customers. Pravin Kumar, a native of Sanchore (V), Dawal Tehsil, Jalore district of Rajasthan, moved to Hyderabad in 2017 and worked for Steel Fabrication Works (Steel Railing) before starting his own. He was addicted to drugs and later began procuring and supplying them to the needy, earning easy money through illegal means.

Later, Pravin Kumar met Savla Ram Mahadev, a Rajasthani drug dealer from whom he began buying heroin at a discount and reselling it to drug addicts at a premium price. He used to buy drugs from Salva Ram Mahdev for Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 6,000 per gram, transport them to Hyderabad in Pearl Millet (sajjalu), and then sold them to needy clients for Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 10,000 per gram while making illegal money.

Another suspect, Dinesh Kumar, assisted Pravin Kumar in supplying the drug to local buyers and received his commission. The accused, Sharwan Kumar, who was a gas mechanic became addicted to drugs and began supplying them to his customers while earning money illegally. Raju Ram and Ashok Kumar, the two remaining accused, are Pravin Kumar customers.

On December 19, in the late evening hours, the SOT LB Nagar team and Medipally PS apprehended all the accused at Sharwan Kumar's residence in Kranthi Colony, within the jurisdiction of Medipally PS. They also seized 45 grams of heroin, a car, two motorcycles, and five cellphones from their possession. Attempts are being made to apprehend the main accused, Savla Ram Mahadev, who is currently absconding.

A case has been registered under the NDPS Act at the Medipally PS of the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate.

Rachakonda police had warned the public that obtaining, selling, transporting, and consuming prohibited Narcotics substances was a crime punishable by ten years in prison.

According to Section 31A of the NDPS Act, death sentence was awarded to a drug trafficker who had been convicted once under the NDPS Act for "engaging in the production, manufacture, possession, transportation, import into India, export from India or trans-shipment, of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances."