During an operation to catch ganja (marijuana) sellers in Hyderabad’s IT area, Gachibowli, officials were shocked to find a couple who had come to buy ganja along with their 4-year-old child. The drug officials allowed the mother and child to leave, but the father tested positive for ganja use. This raid was done by a new special team called the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) on Saturday. They caught 14 people who came to buy ganja. All of them have been sent to drug rehabilitation centres for treatment.

EAGLE’s Superintendent of Police, Chennuri Roopesh, told NDTV that they had been keeping an eye on Sandeep, a repeat offender from Maharashtra, who was selling ganja in Gachibowli. Most of his customers were IT employees and private company staff.

According to the information collected, Sandeep used to bring about 5 kg of ganja, divided into 100 packets of 50 grams each. He sold each packet for Rs 3,000. He also kept a list of over 100 regular customers and used coded WhatsApp messages like “Bhai baccha aa gaya bhai” to tell them that new stock had arrived. On Saturday, officers from EAGLE (a special anti-drug team) dressed in plain clothes and waited near a bank in Gachibowli. This place was often used for selling ganja (marijuana). In just two hours, they caught 14 people who had come to buy ganja. All of them tested positive for ganja use in a quick urine test done on the spot.

Officials were shocked to see a couple who came to buy ganja with their 4-year-old son. The man tested positive, and his wife and child were allowed to leave. In another case, a different couple came, and both of them tested positive. Among the people caught were an online trader, an architect, a sales executive at a real estate company, an IT employee, and a student. All of them have been sent to drug addiction centres for treatment.

The main seller, Sandeep, escaped arrest. Police are now checking WhatsApp chats, phone numbers, and other digital proof from the buyers’ phones to find out more about his network. They also found a list of more than 100 regular customers. A senior officer said that the remaining 86 people on this list should come forward and get treatment before EAGLE takes action against them.

EAGLE has said they will keep doing such checks to keep the IT area free from drugs. The officers also asked young people and students to stay away from drugs, as drug use can lead to crime and other bad activities.
The team also told parents to keep an eye on their children and requested people to share any information about drug activities with the police or call EAGLE’s toll-free number 1908.