1,210 kg of ganja smuggled from Odisha to Rajasthan seized in Hyderabad

Hyderabad witnessed a major breakthrough in interstate drug trafficking on Tuesday when Rachakonda police acting on a tip-off intercepted a vehicle on National Highway 65 near Kothaguda X Road, Abdullapurmet, and seized 1,210 kilograms of ganja concealed beneath cement bags and tarpaulin sheets; the haul, which police estimate is worth about ₹6.2–6.25 crore, was being transported to Rajasthan and led to the arrest of the vehicle’s driver, identified in police releases and media reports as Vikram (alias Vikas/Vishnoi), a resident of Jodhpur district.

Police investigations so far indicate the consignment originated from remote forest areas of Malkangiri in Odisha, a region long reported as a source for large-scale cannabis supplies, and was intended for distribution across multiple districts in Rajasthan a supply chain that highlights how organised syndicates exploit long-distance road networks to move contraband across state borders. Authorities say the accused had concealed the cannabis under legitimate cargo to avoid detection and had been recruited by a Rajasthan-based group that allegedly promised him payment (reported as around ₹5 lakh) for each consignment; preliminary enquiries by the Special Operations Team (SOT) and Abdullapurmet police have recovered the vehicle and mobile phone used in the operation, and a formal NDPS case has been registered as detectives seek to identify the networks, financiers and middlemen behind the racket.

Law enforcement officials and local media have pointed out that this seizure is among the larger single hauls in the area in recent months and follows a pattern of multiple significant interceptions across Telangana and neighbouring states, where policing units have been stepping up surveillance on highways and conducting targeted checks following intelligence inputs. The Rachakonda commissionerate’s public communications, mirrored by regional press coverage, stress that the arrest of the driver is likely only the opening salvo in a wider probe: investigators are tracing call records, movement history and financial transactions to link the arrested man to reputed receivers named in reports alleged associates from the Osian/ Jodhpur region who are said to act as mediators and receivers for consignments moved from Odisha. Police officials have also not ruled out the involvement of local facilitators at either the source or transit points who assist in packing and moving consignments concealed within legitimate loads.

Community and policy observers note that such large consignments reflect both persistent demand in destination markets and the adaptability of traffickers who exploit gaps in route monitoring; they argue this underscores the need for sustained inter-state intelligence sharing and co-ordinated NDPS enforcement, along with targeted action in source regions to disrupt cultivation and supply chains. For now, the suspect remains in custody as Rachakonda and Abdullapurmet police continue questioning him and carrying out raids and forensic examinations to map the syndicate’s reach; further arrests and seizures may follow as the probe widens and investigators work to dismantle the network that routed a tonne-plus of contraband through Hyderabad on its way north.