A 17-year-old boy being used as an inter-State drug courier was arrested during a joint operation by Telangana Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Force and the Hyderabad police on Monday. The officials seized 10 kilograms of ganja worth about ₹5 lakh during a joint operation in the city.

Police said that the boy, a tempo cleaner from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, was exploited by a Mumbai-based drug syndicate that targeted his vulnerable financial background. Investigation revealed that the main accused, identified as Hazi Shafiullah Shaik, lured the juvenile in the last week of December 2025 with an offer of ₹1,500 and asked him to travel to Odisha on the pretext of transporting a vehicle.

While waiting to board an MMTS train at Nature Cure Hospital Railway Station on January 5, the juvenile was apprehended by the joint police team. The three accused, Mehfuz, Hazi Shafiullah Shaik and Khala, all residents of Mumbai, are currently absconding, and efforts are under way to arrest them.