Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (AD)

Beltangady, Jan 29: Nearly Rs 50 crore worth Ganja plants have been found being grown at the Guru Teak Plantation at Neriya village by police on Saturday.

The police team led by ASP Subramaneshwara Rao under the guidance of DK SP B Dayananda conducted the operation in which two persons have been arrested and seized 63,000 Ganja plants.

Addressing press persons, ASP Subramaneshwara Rao revealed that the team planned an operation after receiving vital information on ganja plants being grown near Neriya. The team began its operation at 4.30 am and reached the plantation by 9.45 am after travelling 8 kilometres.

Rao said the team found four persons working in the plantation and one among them opened fire with a gun at the police, who were approaching them. When police fired in return, the four fled the scene leaving an indigenous rifle behind.

Guru teak plantations had 2000 acre of land in the region and had grown ganja plantations destroying forest. The team also found two make-shift tents erected near the plantation and also saplings grown in two nurseries.
In 11 acre of land, 2,000 pits were dug for planting saplings. The police seized 51,000 ganja saplings. In the two nurseries, around 600 saplings were being grown, he informed.

The estate owner Prithviraj and security in-charge Sadashiv have also been arrested and a case has been registered against them, he added.