Vapi (Gujarat), Oct 25 (IANS) The Valsad district police have seized 243.670 kg of cannabis-based narcotic substance worth Rs 1.21 crore and arrested a 32-year-old man during a raid at a residential flat in Vapi, police said on Sunday.
The seizure was made by the Dungra police following a tip-off that the accused, Kartik alias Pappu Biswal, was allegedly storing narcotic substances in his flat at Lakeview Residency and selling them in retail quantities.
Acting on the information received by Police Sub-Inspector K.R. Chotaliya, a police team raided Room G/8 in Building E/4 of the residential complex and apprehended Biswal.
The police seized 243.670 kg of the substance, described in the police statement as containing active constituents of cannabis, valued at Rs 1,21,83,500.
A mobile phone worth Rs 5,000 was also seized, taking the total value of the recovered property to Rs 1,21,88,500, according to the police.
Biswal, who is employed and resides in Dungra, originally belongs to Badas village in the Baliapal police station area of Odisha’s Balasore district.
He was arrested in connection with an offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and taken into police custody for further investigation.
Police have also named Banmali Patra, who is listed as a resident of the same room at Lakeview Residency, as a wanted accused in the case.
The raid was conducted under the supervision of senior officials. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) B.N. Dave, who heads the Vapi division, had issued instructions for action against narcotics-related offences.
The seizure was part of the state government’s stated zero-tolerance policy towards narcotic substances.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi have called for efforts to eradicate the drug menace in Gujarat, while state police Chief G.S. Malik has directed sustained action against drug networks across the state.
Dungra police said further investigation is underway to establish the source of the seized substance and determine whether others were involved in its storage or sale.
–IANS
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