Team Goemkarponn
ST INEZ: Two days after anti-narcotic cell (ANC) of the Goa police, seized a cannabis plant grown outside a mall in Panaji, yet another plant was notice in the similar area by the alert citizens today.
Police have already registered a case against an unidentified person in the last case.
Alert citizens found yet another cannabis plant growing in the ornamental growth along specially designed wedges beautifying footpaths refurbished as part of Smart City projects at St Inez.
Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Goa police has attached the plant and registered a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the case.
Police suspect it to be mischief played by an unknown person. The plant appears to be cannabis; however, it will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for confirmation, said a senior police officer.
According to police, while the plant grows wild in North Indian states, it is uncommon to see such a plant growing naturally here in Goa. Someone must have done mischief by throwing seeds, and with continuous watering, the seeds must have germinated.
The plant was then uprooted and taken away by the ANC team of officials who said they will send it for further analysis. The ANC police are investigating the case.
However, it remains unclear how the cannabis plants are being deliberately grown or ‘accidentally’ grown on the busy streets of Panaji.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in April 2024 had booked a British national for growing cannabis at his residence in Goa.
A team of NCB had received a tip-off regarding illegal in-house cannabis cultivation, after which they raided the house of Jason, a British national in Socorro, North Goa.
During the search, 33 newly grown cannabis plants, 10 grams of ganja and Rs 40,000 were recovered from the house. The cannabis plants were grown in flower pots along with other ornamental plants on the terrace.
