Hyderabad, July 2 -- A suspected hashish oil peddler arrested after weeks of surveillance escaped from Narsingi police custody within hours of his arrest, triggering a manhunt.

The accused, Syed Mohammed Muzaffar Ali, 30, of Golconda, was apprehended on the night of June 29 by the Eagle Force and Narsingi police during a raid on a lodge in Alkapuri Township. However, he allegedly escaped from the police station lock-up later the same night. Two criminal cases have since been registered against him.

Police said Muzaffar was already an accused in three Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act cases registered by Film Nagar, Rajendranagar and Ghatkesar excise authorities.

Acting on intelligence that he was procuring hashish oil from...