NCB Chennai zonal unit seizes 1.75 tonne of ganja from maoist’s house in Andhra Pradesh

CHENNAI: In a joint operation with the Andhra Pradesh police, the Chennai zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau seized more than 1.75 tonne of ganja from a wanted maoist in AP. The seizure was made on the Andhra-Odisha border.
The NCB arrested M Sundara Rao, 40, who is a maoist wanted by the Andhra Pradesh police in eight cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act. The latest case was registered in 2020.
NCB sleuths had recently arrested Saikam Kiran Kumar and Akalla Sivakotayya of Andhra Pradesh and B Suresh of Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu from near Nallur toll plaza and seized 160kg of ganja which had been hidden in cavities of an SUV they travelled in.
Based on the confession by the arrested, an NCB team comprising sub-inspector Prem and two other constables from Chennai zonal unit and four personnel from Hyderabad unit camped in Paderu in Alluri Sitharama Raju district for about a week. A team of 30 police personnel from Andhra Pradesh assisted the NCB team in the operation.
They identified a village called Ginnegaruvu, the place where the trio sourced the ganja from. They entered the village at night after studying the safety of the place since it was a sensitive area with maoist activities.
They found a huge quantity of ganja kept in the house of Sundara Rao. He was secured and brought to Chennai.
Investigation revealed that the Sundara Rao had sourced ganja from Malkangiri district of Odisha and had plans to despatch it to southern states including Tamil Nadu.
NCB zonal director P Aravindhan said the Andhra Pradesh police had cooperated well since they had also been also looking out for Sundara Rao.
"We will interrogate Sundara Rao about his maoist role and how long he has been indulging in smuggling of ganja. We will also probe where the vehicles were readied with cavities to smuggle ganja," added the official.