Visakhapatnam: A woman software engineer is among eight persons arrested in Andhra Pradesh for allegedly supplying high-quality Sheelavathi strain ganja from Narsipatnam to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
The arrests were made by the Nathavaram police in Anakapalle district on Friday.
According to the police it was the first time ganja from the Andhra-Odisha border had been smuggled to Sri Lanka. The arrested woman, identified as Gade Renuka (28), a Bengaluru-based software professional and native of Santhakaviti in the Vizianagaram district, was described as the “lady don” of the operation, as reporte
d by The New Indian Express.
It has been alleged that Renuka, along with her associate Surya Kalidas, rented a house in Narsipatnam to procure ganja from Odisha and distribute it to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
Officials said that police teams from Narsipatnam rural and Nathavaram stations intercepted the gang near Srugavaram village based on credible information and seized 74 kg of dry ganja, a car, two motorcycles and mobile phones. Investigators said Renuka and Kalidas worked with middleman Adduri Prasad, who sourced ganja from tribals A Ravi Kumar, O Lalitha Kumari and P Mani Kumari.
The tribals purchased the contraband from Balimala and Chintrakonda areas of Odisha at about Rs 5,000 per kg. The supply chain was completed by Madhan Kumar and driver Naga Muttu, who transported the ganja to Rajanagaram on the highway before it was moved to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
Renuka had earlier been allegedly involved in ganja smuggling under Payakaraopeta, Narsipatnam, Saluru and Bengaluru limits.