Duo drive to Bengaluru with travel pass to buy cocaine, held on return to Hyderabad

Based on a tip-off, the Excise officials intercepted the duo Tuesday when they were moving around Trimulgherry area in Secunderabad in a Maruti Swift. The officials also seized three mobile phones and two cars from their possession. The other car that was seized is a Skoda that they used to travel to Bengaluru and back, said officials.

N. Anji Reddy, Assistant Excise Superintendent (Enforcement) told indianexpress.com that both of them have been heavy consumers of cocaine for the past several years. One of them runs a manpower consultancy from home while the other runs an electronic showroom in Malakpet.

They usually procured cocaine from local peddlers but could not reach them owing to the Covid-19 lockdown. Hardpressed for drugs, one of them contacted a Nigerian peddler, Mike, who earlier operated in Hyderabad but had shifted base to Bengaluru.

“They possessed a genuine hard copy of a travel pass from the local commissionerate. They had an invoice for some 5000 N-95 masks that they got from a friend in Delhi. They used this invoice and weaved a story of business in Bengaluru,” Reddy said.

The duo, investigators found, had traveled only once to Bengaluru during the lockdown period. In three days, the duo consumed 16 gram of cocaine.

“There are no leads to suggest that they had plans to sell cocaine. They say they bought it for Rs 2 lakh. It should cost anywhere upto Rs 4 lakh as a gram of Cocaine is Rs 6,000 at least,” Reddy added.

While there are no previous offences registered against the two men, officials said there are cases existing against Mike in the city.

The two accused were handed over to the Prohibition and Excise station, Secunderabad, along with case details, for further investigation.