In a bust straight out of a Hollywood thriller, police in Greater Noida raided a 10th-floor flat to find a high-tech cannabis nursery. The suspect, Rahul Choudhary, a 46-year-old former café owner, had transformed his apartment into a full-scale indoor cannabis farm, boasting around 80 plants valued at a whopping Rs 50-60 lakh.
What started with a tip-off led officers to uncover an elaborate setup that seemed more suited to a science lab than an apartment. The plants, labeled meticulously by strain and type, thrived under artificial full-spectrum lighting and air-conditioning systems designed to maintain the perfect temperature. As officers walked in, they couldn’t help but marvel at the sophisticated layout, with Inspector Anuj Kumar remarking, “It looked like a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie.”
Choudhary’s journey into the cannabis business began during the pandemic when his eatery closed. With plenty of free time, he reportedly took a dark detour, scouring the web and binge-watching tutorials to hone his newfound “green thumb.” Seeds were discreetly ordered from a foreign website, with Choudhary shelling out Rs 5,000-6,000 per plant in hopes of turning a massive profit by selling each for Rs 50,000-60,000.
ALSO READ: Nominations Open for ‘Women in Cyber’ Honors at FutureCrime Summit 2025
Originally from Meerut and estranged from his family, Choudhary was caught red-handed when officers apprehended him handing off a packet to a buyer in Greater Noida. The raid that followed uncovered not only the cannabis plants but also 2,070 grams of ready-to-sell product and 163.4 grams of premium-grade cannabis, known as OG.
DCP Saad Miya Khan shared that Choudhary hadn’t just invested in plants; he’d mastered the art of cannabis cultivation with dedication. Now, instead of reaping the rewards of his “harvest,” he’s facing charges under Section 20 of the NDPS Act.
As one officer put it with a sigh, “We thought we’d find a nursery…just not this kind of nursery.”
Follow The420.in on
Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube