Hyderabad: From software hub to drug haven of India

The focus on maintaining peace amid the violent protests demanding for a different state of Telangana has allowed drug peddlers and suppliers to set up shop in the Old City and carry out their nefarious activities, reports Rediff.com’s Vicky Nanjappa.

Hyderabad’s on a high, literally. While the Telangana and the union governments dispute over who should control the law and order situation in the city, the ‘City of Pearls’ is slowly becoming a paradise for drug peddlers, criminals, terrorists.

The recent bust made by the Narcotics Control Bureau reinstates this. A few days ago, officials from the NCB, acting on a tip-off, raided a methamphetamine manufacturing centre near Hyderabad and seized 223 kilogram of methamphetamine and ephedrine, worth a total of Rs 300 crore. Investigations revealed that the unit was headed by a Fayaz Ahmed, who, in the past, had been arrested by the NCB in Gujarat for a drug crime.

Officials said that over the recent years, Hyderabad has become a landing point for cocaine dealers, who bring in their supplies from Tamil Nadu. Explaining how the city has become the perfect haven for peddlers, an official said that the numerous agitations demanding for a separate state of Telagana provided the drug suppliers with the perfect conditions. Law and order officials focused on maintaining peace amid the protests, leaving the peddlers and suppliers to carry out their nefarious activities unchecked.

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And even though drug and drug-related activities fall under the radar of the NCB, the lack of local intelligence made Hyderabad a favourite spot for peddlers and terrorists.

Central Intelligence Bureau officials say there is an urgent need for the Centre to intervene and take stock of the law and order situation in Hyderabad for some time. The agitations over the past few years have allowed criminals to set up their businesses and carry them out with impunity.

An official added that while the border areas and Hyderabad saw the growth of the both the meth and drug mafia, terrorists had also set up their modules in the Old City.

Additionally, the cartel from Hyderabad has set up a dedicate route to supply their goods to Bangalore, Chennai and other parts of the country. The Hyderabad market also has its roots in Malaysia, which is linked to underworld don and one of the most wanted men in India -- Dawood Ibrahim. This once again suggests that Dawood has moved his business down South and has been operating modules and cartels in Chennai and Hyderabad.