The Hyderabad police seized varying quantities of opium and poppy straw from the city on Wednesday, November 30. Police alleged that the narcotics were sourced from Rajasthan and being distributed in Hyderabad. Speaking to the media, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said that a peddler named Ramesh Bishnoi was procuring the drugs and was selling it to a network of customers in the city.

According to The Hindu, Bishnoi returned from his native place Jodhpur a week back with the contraband. From his stock, about 500 grams of poppy straw and 750 grams of opium was handed over to his customers Vishnu Bishnoi, Sunil Danga and Arjun Ram. The exchange took place at a steel railing and furniture store near RK Puram bridge in Neredmet. The Hindu report also mentioned that all of Bishnoi’s customers were from Rajasthan and have been running various businesses in the city.

The police commissioner said that the drugs that were seized are worth about Rs 12.5 lakh, and the accused peddled them because it was a way of making easy money.

In a similar case, the LB Nagar special operations team arrested four people, including two people from Bengaluru, for the sale and supply of heroin. Speaking about this case, Bhagwat said that 12 grams of heroin worth Rs 1.50 lakh were seized from those who were arrested. The suppliers were identified as Syed Aamir Moiz and Mohammed Saad. Their customers Palem Nivas and Mailapally Venkat, who also sold drugs, were arrested along with Moiz and Saad.

Police caught the four of them after a raid on the house of Ranganadha Chary, where the transaction was taking place. All the accused persons were booked under various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.