Karnataka man arrested in Hyderabad with marijuana worth ₹1.35 crore

Investigators identified the arrested man as Venkatesh, a resident of the Ramanagara district of Karnataka.

The police charged him under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Amendment Act of 2001.

The cops added that raids are being conducted in different locations to arrest three alleged peddlers, identified as Kimmudu Narsinga Rao, Shaik Mohammad, and Vijaya Prasad, who are said to be from Tamil Nadu.

The arrest and seizure came almost three weeks after the Rachakonda Police seized 360 kg of marijuana, supposed to be worth ₹1.2 crore.

The allegations

Arrested accused Venkatesh. (Supplied)

The accused was arrested by the Hayathnagar Police in the early hours of Thursday during a vehicle search on the ORR.

“Venkatesh loaded 13 bundles of marijuana from the Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh and was on his way to Mumbai via Hyderabad when we apprehended him,” the officer said.

The police said the accused had already carried out delivery of the contraband three times on the instructions of the absconding.

“Prasad, who was friends with Rao and Mohammad, introduced him to the other accused and they promised him ₹1.5 lakh per trip. As Venkatesh was unhappy with his earnings, he agreed to their proposal,” the police said.

According to the cops, all three absconding accused are regular smugglers and transport marijuana from the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh to Mumbai.