BENGALURU: Nathavaram police in Anakapalle district have arrested eight people, including a Bengaluru-based software engineer, for allegedly supplying high-quality Sheelavathi strain cannabis from Narsipatnam to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.

Police said this appears to be the first instance of ganja from the Andhra–Odisha border being smuggled to Sri Lanka.

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The arrested woman, identified as 28-year-old Gade Renuka, a native of Santhakaviti in Vizianagaram district, was reportedly involved in cannabis trafficking across Payakaraopeta, Narsipatnam, Saluru, and Bengaluru, earning her the nickname “lady don.” Renuka and her associate, Surya Kalidas, had rented a house in Narsipatnam to procure cannabis from Odisha and supply it to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Acting on a tip-off, Inspector Y. Tarakeswara Rao and Nathavaram sub-inspector intercepted the gang near Srugavaram village, seizing 74 kg of dry cannabis, a car, two bikes, and mobile phones. Investigations revealed that Renuka had established a network, renting houses in Bengaluru and Coimbatore to expand operations. With the help of middleman Adduri Prasad, she procured cannabis from tribals in Balimela and Chitrakonda in Odisha at Rs 5,000 per kg.

Drivers Madhan Kumar and Naga Muttu transported the consignments to Rajanagaram highway junction, from where they were routed to Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Police added that the gang also sold cannabis in small packets across Tamil Nadu, leveraging Renuka’s links with state-based smugglers to push consignments into Sri Lanka.