Andhra: 2 held for smuggling 130-kg marijuana in 'Pushpa' style
Police arrested two persons carrying 130 kilograms of marijuana in the Alluri Sitharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh, India Today reported. The suspects were reportedly motivated by the 2021 Telugu film Pushpa: The Rise as the gang hid the cannabis beneath the roof of a Bolero truck similar to the movie. However, the Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) in Kinchamanda village, Dumbriguda Mandal found it.
What did officials say?
The accused, according to officials, had stowed the cannabis in the upper section of the Bolera truck by erecting a customized shelf similar to the smuggling shown in the movie. They said the accused were attempting to smuggle the narcotic across the state line. However, the SEB team halted their car and found 130 kg of marijuana hidden inside.
Video of the seizure shared on Twitter
A ‘Pushpa’ movie-inspired smuggling racket busted in ASR dist. 130 Kg of marijuana concealed in the top of a four-wheeler was seized. In 1973 first case of drug smuggling was registered in the Vizag agency area, now a Ganja cultivation hub in the country.#AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/eNsvn9XrNi
— Ashish (@KP_Aashish) November 27, 2022
FIR registered, investigation underway
Two people, Pangi Maheshwar of Koraput and Ramesh of Dumbriguda, were arrested. The SEB handed over the seized marijuana and the two arrested men to Dumbriguda police. A case has been registered, and further investigations are underway.
Major drug busts of 2022
According to reports, approximately 900 kg of mephedrone were confiscated in separate investigations in Mumbai and Vadodara in August. Reports said 260 kg of cocaine were intercepted from the Kandla port in April. In September of last year, 3000 kg of cocaine worth Rs. 21,000 crore were recovered from Mundra port in one of the largest drug hauls.
