ED Raids Ganja Smuggler Neetu Bai's Nanakramguda House in Money Laundering Case

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches at the Nanakramguda residence of suspected ganja supplier Neetu Bai as part of an ongoing money laundering probe. Neetu Bai, who is allegedly involved in multiple narcotics cases and suspected of supplying contraband to consumers near her residence, is currently absconding.

The central agency initiated its money laundering investigation following a First Information Report registered by the Telangana Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE). Investigators noted that Neetu Bai had earlier evaded capture during a targeted operation conducted by EAGLE in Nanakramguda and has remained underground for more than a year while managing the illicit trade through associates.

According to officials, the 48-year-old resident of Dhoolpet had allegedly been running cannabis sales out of Lotha Basti in Nanakramguda, targeting software professionals employed in the IT corridor. Neetu Bai, who also goes by aliases including Ganja Neetu, Ganja Bai, and Ganja Kalavati, tops the wanted list of the Telangana excise police with over 20 NDPS cases registered against her. Special teams from the TG-STF have intensified search efforts to apprehend her, identifying her as a close relative of recently arrested woman don Angoori Bai.

Police said Neetu Bai entered the ganja trade as a family business, later marrying Munnu Singh, with whom she has two sons. She eventually expanded into a bulk importer and distributor across the city and the entire state, keeping more than a dozen cash counting machines at her residence. With estimated daily average earnings of around Rs 2.60 lakh, she acquired immovable properties worth crores of rupees in posh localities.

Operating under the name Kalavati across Visakhapatnam, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh, she maintained an extensive nexus with cultivators in those regions. Authorities noted that she altered her operational methods following the rollout of 'Operation Dhoolpet'. Her distribution network eventually grew to include over 300 peddlers and suppliers, offering doorstep delivery primarily to consumers in the IT sector.

Neetu Bai was previously arrested in August 2023 by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) and Golconda police. During that enforcement action, police discovered bank balances exceeding Rs 180 crore and seized immovable properties valued at over Rs 4.80 crore. She was subsequently released on bail and resumed her drug trade operations.