Hyderabad, September 22: Two of the eight persons arrested in the drug racket that was busted by the prohibition and excise department in the city yeterday turned out to be a city constable and a Secretariat employee. The constable, D Bhagyaraj of Gudimalkapur, is attached with the Jubilee Hills police of the West Zone who recently busted a drug racket involving the brothers of actor Ravi Teja. Another accused, Ranganathan, owner of RS Enterprises at Nandinagar in Banjara Hills, is absconding. Disclosing the details of the case, Vinod K Agarwal, commissioner, prohibition and excise, told reporters that 950 gram of ephedrine worth Rs 50 lakh in the international market was seized in searches near the Manjeera hotel at Kacheguda. Possession, sale or transport of ephedrine, a controlled substance, is prohibited under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.
During routine checking, the excise and prohibition officials stopped three persons moving on a bike near the hotel. The officials searched them and found three 100-gram packets of the drug with them. They later searched a car nearby and found that each of its five occupants carried a packet of the drug.
“All the arrested have revealed that they had purchased the drug from D Madhusudhan Rao of Yellareddyguda, who worked in the Allied Aviation, Federation of Exports at Prakashnagar. Madhusudhan Rao found 2.2 kg of the drug concealed in the seat covers of a scooter booked for Brazil. He stole it and shared some of it with Ranganathan,” Agarwal said.
–Agencies