Hyderabad: What appeared to be harmless references to “Mango”, “Stick” and “Flower” in WhatsApp chats turned out to be coded orders for ganja, exposing a sophisticated pan-India drug distribution network that allegedly exploited gaps in cargo and postal screening systems for nearly four years.The bust by the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) revealed how narcotics were shipped across the country through Speed Post, trains and even air cargo, reaching customers in at least 21 states.Police estimate the syndicate’s annual turnover at around Rs 5 crore. The gang is believed to have built a substantial customer base, including more than 1,000 regular customers in Mumbai alone.Revealing details of the operation on Thursday, Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said the network, allegedly run by five men from Jharkhand, exposed serious shortcomings in scrutiny mechanisms at India Post, airports and railway transport services.The accused were identified as Satyam Misra, Shubham Misra, Rahul Jha, Sachin Misra and Santosh Pandit. Satyam was arrested on Thursday, while efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining four. Police said the network also relied on online payment platforms to collect money from customers across the country.According to investigators, the gang supplied ganja nationwide using India Post and railway networks while maintaining an extensive online distribution system.“We are writing to both the agencies to inform them about the way ganja supply has slipped their surveillance over the last four years,” Sajjanar said.He said that, apart from postal services, the gang operated an extensive network in Mumbai.“Shubham personally transported bulk quantities of ganja by train from Jharkhand to Mumbai, where it was stored at the residences of Sachin and Santosh. Satyam and Shubham managed the Mumbai clientele remotely. The quality of ganja was communicated through cryptic terms — Mango, Stick and Flower. Among them, Flower represented the best quality ganja,” he said.Police said Satyam and his brother Shubham cultivated ganja in their fields in Jharkhand and handled procurement and packaging. The consignments, packed in varying quantities, were then handed over to Rahul for dispatch.“To deceive the parcel agency, they declared the consignments as medicine. To further impress postal service operators, they listed the sender as ‘Dr Rahul Jha’. Rahul is not a doctor. He handled the Speed Post booking and dispatch of ganja parcels. The accused used either the Isri Bazar or Phusro Bazar post offices in Jharkhand to ship the consignments,” police said.Investigators found that the gang relied heavily on WhatsApp and other social media platforms to receive orders and coordinate deliveries.“Every day, the accused executed 80 to 100 orders across India. Of these, nearly 10 consignments were dispatched through Speed Post. Each parcel contained 50 to 250 grams of ganja and was delivered to customers’ doorsteps for Rs 1,500 to Rs 8,000, depending on prevailing market prices,” investigators said.The investigation began after H-NEW received information about two ganja consignments that had arrived by air cargo in Gudimalkapur and SR Nagar. Teams led by DCP (H-NEW) Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath traced the supply chain back to Jharkhand, exposing the larger network.
