3 min readNew DelhiNov 13, 2024 08:33 AM IST
First published on: Nov 13, 2024 at 03:51 AM IST
When policemen raided a flat on the 10th floor of an apartment in Greater Noida Tuesday, they said they were taken aback at the indoor nursery they found. Instead of the garden variety of flowers, they saw cannabis plants in full bloom and the paraphernalia required to cultivate them.
“It was a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie,” Inspector Anuj Kumar recalled. “We thought there would be few (cannabis) plants in a flower pot. What we saw were a full spectrum light, a machine regulating temperature, and cannabis plants numbered as per their varieties.”
Police raided the flat at Parsvnath Panorama Society after they received inputs regarding the illegal cultivation of cannabis plants inside one of the apartments. Police said a 46-year-old man, Rahul Choudhary, who was living alone in the flat, was arrested for “illegally cultivating cannabis and selling them via the dark web”.
DCP (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said they received a tip-off that Choudhary was going to hand over a consignment to a customer. “We had no idea he was cultivating cannabis inside his rented home,” he said.
Earlier in the day, police laid a trap at a roundabout near Kachnar Estate in Greater Noida. “Around 10.30 am, Choudhary appeared and as soon as he handed over a packet to a customer, we arrested him,” he said.
A Greater Noida resident was arrested for illegal cultivation of cannabis. (Express Photo)
“During questioning, we asked him how he procured the cannabis. This is when he told us he grew it himself, inside his flat.”
A team of a dozen policemen were immediately dispatched to raid his rented accommodation. “When we opened the door, we were taken aback at the elaborate setup. There were around 80 cannabis plants worth Rs 50 lakh to 60 lakh, ganja, OG (a type of weed), various chemicals and fertilisers, and seeds and equipment used in cultivation,” said a police officer.
“The cannabis plants were numbered as per their kind. He was using artificial light and had fixed his air conditioner at the required room temperature.”
DCP Khan said Choudhary has a post-graduate degree in English. “He used to run an eatery in Greater Noida which shut down during the Covid pandemic. This is when he started to explore the dark web, watch movies and read books on cannabis cultivation,” he said.
Hailing from UP’s Meerut, Choudhary had been living away from his wife and two children. He revealed to police that he had started cannabis cultivation four months ago and this was his first harvest. “He (Choudhary) told us the seeds were ordered online through a foreign website, Seedsman. He made payment through PayPal,” DCP Khan said.
“The cost to grow the (cannabis) plant is Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000. He would sell it at Rs 50,000-Rs 60,000 online,” DCP Khan said.
“He told us he would arrange customers through the dark web… he would meet them in different chat rooms,” a police officer added.
During the raid, police said, they recovered 2.070 grams of illegal cannabis and 163.4 grams of OG. Choudhary has been booked under Section 20 of the NDPS Act.
Police raided the flat at Parsvnath Panorama Society after they received inputs regarding the illegal cultivation of cannabis plants inside one of the apartments. (Express Photo) 
A Greater Noida resident was arrested for illegal cultivation of cannabis. (Express Photo)
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