Hyderabad: A drug dealer was arrested for selling cocaine in Banjara Hills at Road no 36. The police recovered 31 grams of cocaine and Rs 7 lakh in cash from him. He mainly sold the drug to clients in the IT corridor.
The person was identified as Abdul Hameed, 38, hailing from Adilabad. He migrated to Hyderabad in search of livelihood. According to police, the accused ran a travel agency named Rehbar Tours and Travels. As part of his job he used to visit Goa frequently.
He met a person called Max who was a cocaine dealer. Max lured Hameed with a deal. Hameed accepted it and acted as a dealer and sold the cocaine on Max’s behalf.
The accused had been selling drugs for three months. He used to transport 70 grams per week from Goa to Hyderabad. Assistant Excise Superintendent (Enforcement) N. Anji Reddy said, “We have been observing him for a week and caught him red-handed while he was delivering drugs to some students on Sunday night. Through his contact history we have identified 26 members and allotted an investigating officer to the case. Cocaine is used by people who are suffering from depression.”
“During our preliminary examination of mobile phones of the accused, we observed that there were quite a few Whatsapp messages which read as follows “I want a fish”, “I want a Ice Pack” which indirectly implies cocaine. He saved the contacts as pillar no 270, pillar no 260 along with some hotel names which were the delivery points,” Reddy added.
Deputy Commissioner of Excise Vivekananda Reddy said, “The accus-ed used to sell cocaine in a Hyundai car with the number TS 04 ER 7655. He used to sell 1 gram of cocaine for Rs 6,000 and take a commission of Rs 2,000 per gram. He used to sell mainly in areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Madhapur and Gachibowli. He used to take orders through his mobile.” The police have seized his car and mobile phone and identified 26 suspicious phone numbers from it.
Psychologist Diana Monteiro said, “Cocaine and heroin, goes to the brain and gives users a wonderful feeling of pleasure. People who are working in jobs where there is a lot of stress especially in the IT sector get easily attracted to such coping strategies like drugs and get addicted to them.” Peer pressure was also one of the main reasons for people to get addicted to these drugs, Monteiro added.
The Assistant Excise Superintendent (Enforcement) requested parents not to allow their children for a tour to Goa. It is the place where people get acquainted with drugs, he added.
