ED Raids Ganja Queen in Hyderabad
Agency conducts raids across 4 southern states
Hyderabad:The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday carried out coordinated searches in four south Indian states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala — as part of a money laundering probe linked to multiple narcotics trafficking cases with cross-border linkages, officials said.
This is the first time that the ED has officially taken up the narcotics-related probe in the state by raiding alleged top bulk drug supplier Neetu Bai alias Kalapathi Nithu Bai (54), popularly known as the "Ganja Queen."
As many as 30 premises in Chennai, Tirunelveli, Nagapattinam, Velankanni and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu; Kolar, Malur (Kolar district) and Hoskote (Bengaluru North district); Serilingampally and Nanakramguda (Hyderabad) and Ranga Reddy district in Telangana; Kozhikode, Kannur, Malappuram and Thrissur in Kerala were covered as part of the investigation conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The raids were conducted under the "Nasha Mukt Bharat" campaign. Five ED teams targeted properties linked to Neetu Bai, also referred to as "Rani" in Jinsi ChourahI, Dhoolpet, with searches spanning Nanakramguda, LB Nagar, and Attapur.
The financial probe stems from prior criminal cases registered by Telangana’s Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE). The ED registered its case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to meticulously trace and freeze the substantial "proceeds of crime" generated through bulk ganja sales.
Investigators reveal that Neetu Bai runs a highly organised, family-assisted drug syndicate with an active operational nexus spanning five other states, moving bulk quantities into the twin cities and their suburbs.
The network heavily targeted high-income consumers, drawing a vast clientele from the neighbouring posh localities such as Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, various localities of Future City Financial District and other localities across diverse professional backgrounds.
The latest ED searches follow a series of stringent legal escalation protocols executed by state and central law enforcement. Sources in the ED have stated that the case is under active investigation, and formal official details will be made public once the operations conclude completely.
On July 18, the EAGLE Force for the first-time ever seized Neetu’s Nanakramguda property under the SAFEMA Act (Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators Forfeiture of Property Act, 1976) at her Nanakramguda residence. An active manhunt is underway for Neetu Bai remains designated as absconding across multiple EAGLE FIRs.