Hyderabad Police detain 65 persons, seize drugs as part of ‘Operation Thunderbolt’ - The HinduPublished - July 09, 2026 07:40 pm IST - HYDERABADMore than 1,100 police personnel fanned out across Mangwada Basti in Habeeb Nagar early on Thursday as the Hyderabad City Police launched a massive cordon and search operation, codenamed ‘Operation Thunderbolt’, targeting drug peddlers, habitual offenders and other anti-social elements.The operation, which began at around 3.30 a.m., was carried out under Hyderabad Commissioner of Police V.C. Sajjanar.The drive involved personnel from the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW), Hyderabad Food and Administrative Safety Teams (H-FAST), Task Force, Central Crime Station, CAR Armed Reserve and local police.During the searches, police detained 15 suspected drug offenders and 50 suspected property offenders, besides taking into custody chain snatchers, habitual offenders and persons against whom non-bailable warrants were pending.Police also seized 150 sachets of marijuana, 1 kg of dry marijuana, 32 bottles of cough syrup suspected to be misused as an intoxicant and liquor bottles during the operation.Officials said the operation was aimed at dismantling drug networks and curbing anti-social activities in the area through coordinated enforcement.Published - July 09, 2026 07:40 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }