A 45-year-old man working as a watchman at an apartment complex in Vittalwadi was arrested by the Narayanguda police for cultivating cannabis in a vacant plot adjacent to the building. The cannabis plants were spotted when some police officers took shelter near the plot during the rain on Saturday, July 19.
The accused, identified as Kailash Joshi, had been employed as a watchman at Neeraj Villa Apartment. An officer from Narayanguda police said he had been growing the plants in an open plot situated between Neeraj Villa and Kirti Enclave, which had remained unoccupied for nearly a decade due to ownership disputes.
Following a tip-off, a police team led by Sub-Inspector Nagaraju, conducted a raid on the site with the assistance of the clues team. Joshi was found digging near the cannabis plants and attempted to flee when he saw the officers, but was apprehended and taken into custody.
During questioning, Joshi reportedly confessed to having a long-standing habit of consuming cannabis by boiling it in milk. “Facing difficulty in sourcing it, he decided to cultivate the drug himself using the unused plot behind the apartment where he worked,” said the officer, adding that he brought cannabis seeds from his hometown in Uttarakhand and sowed them among pumpkin plants to avoid suspicion.
A total of 15 cannabis plants weighing 4.2 kilograms were seized, along with a digging tool and a mobile phone. Joshi, a resident of King Koti Road in Himayathnagar, was booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is underway.
Published – July 19, 2025 08:11 pm IST
