Ganja as intercrop: Six arrested for secret cannabis farms in Nirmal

Sharmila said Takada Indal, Kasavath Sajanlal, Gothi Ravinder, Kachakand Santosh, Bamane Narender, Peliya Prathap Singh, all from Mangalsingh Thanda in Kaddampeddur mandal were apprehended for secretly cultivating cannabis in their farms when she along with her staffers conducted raids on the fields following a tip-off.

Nirmal: Six persons were arrested on charges of cultivating ganja as an intercrop in their agriculture fields during a special operation by Superintendent of Police Dr Janaki Sharmila and her team at remote Alampalli and surrounding habitations in Kaddampeddur mandal on Monday. Ganja plants worth Rs.70 lakh were seized from the fields.

Sharmila said Takada Indal, Kasavath Sajanlal, Gothi Ravinder, Kachakand Santosh, Bamane Narender, Peliya Prathap Singh, all from Mangalsingh Thanda in Kaddampeddur mandal were apprehended for secretly cultivating cannabis in their farms when she along with her staffers conducted raids on the fields following a tip-off.

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During interrogation, the six confessed to committing the crime to make a fast buck. They admitted to cultivating ganja as an intercrop in their farms and by renting farms of others in the same village and also neighbouring habitations for quite a long time. They were secretly growing the ganja crop among a pigeon pea crop.

At the time of raids, Indal was found to be raising 83 ganja plants, weighing 48.64 kilograms in two farms at Babunaik Thanda near Alampalli for the last four years. The value of the trees was assessed to be Rs.41.50 lakh. Sajanlal and the remaining accused were growing plants which weighed about 12 kilograms and worth Rs.31.36 lakh.

Sharmila managed to reach the remote village on a motorbike, along with Nirmal DSP Prabhakar, Khanapur Inspector Saidarao, Kaddampeddur Sub-Inspector Krishnasagar, RSI Ravi Kumar, sniffer dog squad staffers, Thirupathi, Ganesh, Sathish from Central Crime Station, head constable Kailash, constable Bheem Rao and home guards Srinivas and Venkatesh.