Telangana police detain women drug peddlers under PD Act; Kingpin from Karnataka still at large

The Telangana police have invoked the Preventive Detention Act against two women drug peddlers who were arrested while transporting 480 kg ganja (marijuana) from the agency areas in Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka via Telangana.

Eight co-accused men in the case were detained under the PD act last week. The kingpin in the racket, Akash Kumar, who hails from Karnataka, is still at large.

The two women — Jeripothula Ravali (20) and Domati Sangeetha (20) — were detained in a special prison for women in the Chanchalguda jail near Hyderabad on Tuesday.

“To dissuade any remaining women drug peddlers from indulging in such activities, we have invoked the PD Act against the two. We would not spare anyone participating in the narcotics business,” Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat told DH.

The detention period under the PD act provisions could extend up to one year.

According to the Rachakonda police officials, the two women, doing private jobs in Hyderabad, are close friends.

Ravali is the wife of accused Sainath Chowhan indulged in drug peddling activities and transporting ganja from agency areas in Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana. He dragged his wife Ravali and her friend Sangeetha into the racket to earn more money.

“To divert police attention and avoid checking, they chose a peculiar modus operandi. The women travel in cars along with male drug peddlers projecting themselves as a family going on a family recreation trip. Whenever the police stop their vehicles, the lady travelling in the car claims one of the peddlers as her husband and the remaining as relatives and that they are going on a family vacation tour. This way, the offenders have been transporting ganja involving the women,” an official said.