Hyderabad, April 7 – The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) arrested four drug peddlers and seized contraband substances during raids at three locations, a top official said on Tuesday.
H-NEW conducted joint raids in coordination with the Chilkalguda, Sanath Nagar, and Adibatla Police Stations. During the operations, they apprehended one interstate drug peddler, one local drug peddler, and three sub-peddlers, and seized various contraband substances, vehicles, mobile phones, and cash, all collectively worth Rs 63.65 lakh.
In the first case, under the jurisdiction of the Chilkalguda police station, police arrested 18-year-old student Sai Nikhil Yadav and seized 115 grams of MDMA worth Rs 11.50 lakh.
According to Vaibhav Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Task Force / H-NEW, Nikhil Yadav, during his college days, developed a habit of consuming drugs. To sustain his addiction and earn easy money, he came into contact with his college senior (absconding supplier) and turned into a sub-peddler.
He was previously involved in two drug cases in the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates.
In the second case, H-NEW, along with the Sanath Nagar police, arrested Simhachalam, 28, an interstate peddler, and Venu, 23, a sub-peddler.
Police seized 1005 grams of Hash oil and two mobile phones worth Rs 12.75 lakh.
Simhachalam, a welder and native of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, started as a transporter along the Andhra Pradesh–Odisha border and eventually became an interstate drug peddler. By establishing contacts with suppliers, he built a network to supply drugs in Hyderabad through sub-peddlers. He has a criminal background and is involved in multiple NDPS cases registered in Cyberabad and Sangareddy, and was previously remanded to judicial custody.
In the third case, H-NEW, along with Adibatla police, arrested Akshay A Patel, 35, a local drug peddler, and Babburi Aditya Vardhan, 25, a sub-peddler.
According to DCP, 363 grams of ecstasy pills, 41 gram OG, four gram LSD Blots, a two-wheeler, two mobile phones and Rs 50,500 cash, all worth Rs 39.40 lakh, were seized.
Akshay Patel, a graduate, was addicted to drugs and initially procured them for personal use. Over time, he began acting as an intermediary and later turned into a full-fledged peddler, sourcing drugs through courier services and encrypted applications. He gradually built a local distribution network by involving associates.
Aditya Vardhan, after falling into bad company during his studies, became addicted to drugs and discontinued his education. Despite attempts at rehabilitation, he relapsed and resumed drug consumption. Due to financial dependency, he joined the network as a sub-peddler and started supplying drugs across the city for commission, police said.
