Hyderabad: A couple involved in peddling drugs in posh areas of the city was arrested by the enforcement wing of the excise department. The couple used to take cash using a card swiping machine. They also ran a brothel at Jubilee Hills, police said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, enforcement wing staff of the excise department apprehended Shaik Fahad, 37, and his wife Salima Rabbiul Shaik, 27, on Road No 12, Banjara Hills, on Monday night.
The couple, residents of Tolichowki, was travelling in a car which upon checking was found to be carrying 9 gm cocaine, Rs 3 lakh cash earned by selling the contraband and a mini-swiping machine.
Excise department (enforcement wing) assistant superintendent N. Anjireddy said the arrests were a follow-up to a case registered on June 2. Two persons, B. Santosh and Mohd Masood, were caught and 7 gm of cocaine, 2 gm opium, Rs 1.13 lakh cash and three bikes were seized from them at Film Nagar. Fahad sped away in his car then.
Investigation revealed that he has been running brothels at Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills for the last eight years. In January last year, he was arrested under the PITA Act and, after release, restarted a brothel at Jubilee Hills.
“Fahad took a house on rent for Rs 75,000 at Jubilee Hills to run the brothel. Noticing that his customers were using drugs, he decided to sell drugs to his customers as well as to others. He purchased cocaine from a Nigerian national living at Sun City and was selling it in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Kukatpally and other areas,” said the official.
Fahad employed Santhosh, Masood and Suresh to transport drugs. The orders were taken through WhatsApp and delivered in person. “Several victims of drug abuse have been identified and named in the case,” he said, adding that the seized material has been handed over to the Ameerpet excise police for further action.
