Accused Naseem Kamruddin in the custody of EAGLE team and the Narcotics Control Bureau, with the seized 500 kg marijuana, on Tuesday.
In a joint operation, the EAGLE team of RNCC Khammam, and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Ranchi Division, intercepted a lorry carrying 500 kilograms of marijuana at Rourkela in Jharkhand on October 21.
According to Sandeep Shandilya, Director of EAGLE, the operation was based on credible intelligence about a major drug consignment being transported from the Andhra–Odisha Border (AOB) region.
The information indicated that a truck (HR 73 B 4939) would be moving the contraband on the intervening night of October 20 and 21 to evade police checks during Diwali.
A team from Khammam began surveillance near the AOB border on October 19. The suspect vehicle was later confirmed to have departed from Janpati Gram Panchayat in Malkangiri district, Odisha, at around 9 p.m. on October 20, bound for Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
“Though the vehicle was initially expected to pass through Telangana, the suspects diverted it northward via the Biju Expressway to avoid heavily monitored routes. Our team pursued the vehicle through the night and coordinated with superior officers, who alerted the NCB Ranchi Division. Acting on the shared intelligence, the joint team successfully intercepted the 10-tyre heavy goods vehicle at Simdega, along the Ranchi–Rourkela road, and seized 500 kilograms of contraband,” explained the officer.
Police identified the driver as Naseem Kamruddin, 30, from Haryana, who was taken into custody. The intended receivers, identified as Mushthaq Khan and Arif, both from Haryana, and currently residing in Varanasi, remain absconding.
Meanwhile, the authorities have urged people to report drug-related activities to the Eagle Force through the toll-free number 1908, WhatsApp 87126 71111, or email tsnabho-hyd@tspolice.gov.in. All information will be kept confidential, and credible informants will be suitably rewarded.
Published – October 22, 2025 09:09 pm IST
