Ganja Worth Rs.26 Lakh Seized in GIFT City Raid, Drug Peddling Concerns Rise

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — A major drug bust inside India’s premier financial district has sparked fresh concerns about illegal narcotics activity in the area after police seized marijuana worth over ₹26 lakh during a raid in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, popularly known as GIFT City.

The raid conducted by the Gandhinagar Special Operations Group (SOG) on the night of March 11 at a luxury apartment in Shobha Dream Heights Tower resulted in the arrest of 25-year-old Ankit Rajeshbhai Kakkar, a resident of Rajkot originally from Morbi. The incident has triggered debate about the possibility of drug peddlers exploiting high-rise apartments and short-term rental platforms in the area.

Police officials said the accused had rented a flat on the 23rd floor through the Airbnb platform and was paying a daily rent of ₹3,000, amounting to nearly ₹90,000 a month. Investigators revealed that Kakkar had checked into the apartment on March 10 and had made the payment online through Google Pay.

Raid reveals ganja stash inside luxury apartment

According to officials, the raid was conducted after the SOG received specific intelligence inputs regarding suspected drug activity in the high-rise building.

Police Inspector H. I. Bhati and his team stormed the apartment late at night and recovered 0.746 kg of greenish plant material suspected to be marijuana from a bag bearing a Nike logo kept inside the bedroom.

A scientific officer from the Forensic Science Laboratory was immediately called to the spot, and preliminary testing confirmed the substance to be ganja.

During the search operation, the police seized narcotics valued at ₹26.11 lakh along with ₹4,000 in cash, two high-end iPhones, an electronic weighing scale and the accused’s Aadhaar card. The total value of the seized items is estimated at ₹26.65 lakh.

Drug supply link traced to Vadodara

During interrogation, the accused reportedly revealed that he had purchased the marijuana two days earlier from Aniket Rabari in the Tandalja area of Vadodara. Police sources said the transaction allegedly took place near a McDonald’s outlet in the locality.

Officials believe the accused had planned to sell the narcotics in small retail quantities.

“The accused had come here just two days ago and intended to vape and distribute ganja in retail,” said PI H. I. Bhati. “Based on specific intelligence, we conducted the raid and arrested him before the drugs could be circulated.”

Investigation underway

A case has been registered against both accused under the Narcotic Drugs laws at Dabhoda Police Station, and police teams are now working to trace the wider network behind the supply chain.

Authorities said the accused is a graduate from a private university in Vadodara and further interrogation is underway. Police are also preparing to seek his remand for deeper investigation into the drug network.