Live-in couple's fight leads Gujarat cops to hidden ganja stash

AHMEDABAD: A domestic dispute between a live-in couple in Mansa taluka led to the exposure of a suspected narcotics racket, with police seizing hybrid cannabis worth nearly Rs 6.9 lakh from a house in Raniyapara village.

The case surfaced after a woman called the emergency helpline 112 following a heated argument with her partner. When a police team reached the residence to assist her, the man allegedly fled from the spot. A search of the house later led to the recovery of suspected contraband, police said.

According to police, the woman had been living with the partner for around one-and-a-half months at a rented premises in Raniyapara village in Mansa.

During questioning, police found that the couple had been involved in a serious dispute allegedly linked to illegal activities being conducted from the house.

Acting on inputs available at the scene, police carried out a search and found a packet hidden inside a room. The seized substance, weighing 196gm, was sent for forensic testing. The forensic science laboratory later confirmed that the substance was hybrid cannabis, officials said.

Police also recovered a digital weighing scale and a mobile phone from the premises. The total value of the seized contraband and other items has been estimated at Rs 6.9 lakh.

Investigators said the accused is originally from Rajasthan, while his family currently lives in Sector 2 of Gandhinagar. The complainant woman is a native of Sabarkantha district.

A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against the absconding accused. Police have begun efforts to trace and arrest him and are also probing the source of the contraband and whether he was part of a larger drug supply network.