A 46-year-old man, Rahul Chaudhury, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly cultivating a cannabis garden in a flat at Parsvnath Panorama near the Pi-3 roundabout in Greater Noida. Police seized around 80 cannabis plants, valued at approximately Rs 60 lakh, along with fertilizers, seeds, and chemicals. This arrest follows recent similar incidents, including one in Bengaluru where a couple was detained for growing cannabis after a Facebook post revealed their “home garden.”
The Greater Noida police acted on a tip-off during their ongoing Operation Prahar, targeting drug activity in the region. Teams from Beta 2, Ecotech 1 police stations, and the narcotics department raided the flat, finding a sophisticated indoor setup. Chaudhury had installed an air conditioner running 24/7 to maintain optimal temperatures, and additional lights to compensate for the lack of sunlight, allowing photosynthesis. Each plant reportedly cost him Rs 5,000-6,000 and took around 110 days to mature.
Police revealed that Chaudhury, a postgraduate in English, used online resources to learn cultivation techniques. He sourced cannabis seeds from an international website using PayPal and allegedly sold the products through the dark web, turning to commercial growing just four months ago.
