Vapi (Gujarat), Oct 25: Police in Gujarat's Valsad district have seized 243.670 kg of a cannabis-based narcotic substance worth Rs 1.21 crore and arrested a 32-year-old man during a raid on a residential flat in Vapi, police said on Sunday.

Source: IANS via hiINDiA

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 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.

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, 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, with Deputy Superintendent of Police B.N. Dave, who heads the Vapi division, having issued instructions for action against narcotics-related offences. 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. The seizure is the second large narcotics haul reported in Valsad district in two days, after police seized 2.5 tonnes of cannabis-laced tablets worth Rs 12.67 crore in raids at Vapi and Dadra on Saturday.