Cannabis grown among cotton at Gadhejalgaon; 430 plants seized, farmer arrested

Karmad: Karmad police raided a field at Gadhejalgaon in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar taluka on the morning of Friday, October 9, and seized cannabis plants that had been hidden among a cotton crop. The 430 plants of various sizes weighed 72.78 kg and are valued at about ₹18,19,500. Police said a 50-year-old farmer from Gadhejalgaon has been arrested.

Police had received a tip-off that cannabis was being grown in a field in survey number 333. Inspector Samratsing Rajput informed senior officers and planned the raid. When the police team, forensic science laboratory (FSL) officials and independent witnesses (panchas) reached the field, they found cannabis plants three to four feet tall growing between the rows of cotton.

The plants were uprooted and weighed on an electronic scale in the presence of the witnesses. Samples were kept aside for laboratory testing and the rest were packed in sacks and sealed. A case has been registered against the suspect under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

After the cultivation came to light, tahsildar Shivanand Bidwe, circle officer Santosh Lolge and sub-divisional police officer Pooja Nangare inspected the field. The raid was carried out by a team under assistant inspector Gokul Thakur. Karmad police are investigating whether anyone else was involved and whether the cannabis was meant for sale.

Source: Esakal