In a shocking development, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested 46-year-old Rahul Chaudhary for cultivating cannabis also known as Ganja in his flat in Greater Noida with the intent to sell it on the dark web. Chaudhary, who had set up an elaborate ganja cultivation operation inside his apartment, was caught red-handed while attempting to deliver a consignment of cannabis to a customer. His arrest follows a similar incident in Bengaluru where a couple was also caught growing cannabis.
On receiving a tip-off, Greater Noida Police set up a trap to apprehend Chaudhary, who was allegedly about to meet a buyer. At around 10:30 am, when he left his flat to hand over a packet of Ganja, he was swiftly arrested near the P-3 roundabout in the Beta-2 area. The operation involved the combined efforts of officials from Beta-2 and Ecotech-1 police stations, along with the district’s Anti-Narcotics Team.
#WATCH | UP: A youth named Rahul Chaudhary arrested in Greater Noida for involvement in indoor cultivation of OG plants.
80 plants, 2 kg of ganja and several types of pesticides and insecticides were recovered from his indoor setup.
Visuals from the residence of the accused… https://t.co/TAniE7jCUQ pic.twitter.com/27io8fhnYD
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 12, 2024
Following the arrest, authorities raided Chaudhary’s flat in the Parsvnath Panorama Society. To their surprise, they discovered a fully-equipped cannabis cultivation setup inside the apartment. The police seized 80 cannabis plants, approximately 2.070 kg of cannabis, and 163.4 grams of high-grade ‘OG’ cannabis. The setup included advanced equipment such as full-spectrum lighting, a temperature-regulating machine, and artificial air conditioning to maintain an ideal growing environment. Authorities were astonished by the scale of the operation, which appeared to be inspired by crime dramas and web series on cannabis cultivation.
Police initially believed Chaudhary was procuring cannabis from external sources to sell on the dark web. However, upon discovering the cultivation setup, they realized he had been growing the cannabis himself for around six months. Chaudhary admitted to having made his first harvest, revealing that he had procured the seeds through a foreign website, Seedsman, and made payments via PayPal. The plants were numbered by type, and he meticulously regulated every aspect of the cultivation process.
Chaudhary, originally from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, has a postgraduate degree in English and had previously operated an eatery in Greater Noida. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of his business, which led him to seek new avenues for income. Chaudhary turned to the dark web, inspired by films and books, and embarked on the illicit venture of cultivating cannabis in his own apartment.
The police have now seized cannabis plants worth an estimated Rs 50-60 lakh. Chaudhary’s arrest serves as a reminder of the growing concerns regarding illegal activities on the dark web and the increasing trend of cannabis cultivation for illicit trade.
