Hapur city police arrested a man selling ganja on Badnauli road.[1][2][3][4][5] He had been standing behind bushes near the railway crossing looking for customers.[1][2] During questioning he gave his name as Shakeel, a resident of Mohalla Nabi Karim.[1][3][4][6][5] He tried to flee when he saw the police team approaching, but officers surrounded and caught him.[1][3][4]

Police searched his bag and recovered 850 grams of ganja.[1][2][3][4][6][5] Police said he brought ganja in a bag and sold it to passers-by and addicts for profit.[1] Sub-Inspector Ravindra Kumar’s team was patrolling the area on Sunday night when an informant told them near Nizampar underpass that a man was selling ganja from a bag near the railway crossing on Badnauli road.[1] The team rushed to the spot, where the informant pointed to a suspect standing with a bag behind bushes.[1]

Police took the seized ganja into custody and registered a case under the NDPS Act, with further legal action under way.[1] Police said they are now tracing where he sourced the ganja and to whom he supplied it, including others linked to the trade.[1]

Police described the arrested man as a history-sheeter facing nine cases at Kotwali Hapur Nagar.[3][4] Police said they acted after a video of ganja sales in the area circulated on social media.[3][6]

Police gave his history-sheet number as HS-205A.[6] Police records list nine cases against Shakeel in Hapur, Meerut and Muzaffarnagar districts, including murder, robbery, Arms Act and NDPS Act cases.[6] The police team comprised Sub-Inspector Ravindra Kumar, Head Constable Pawan Kumar (882) and Constable Veer Pratap (452).[6]

Shakeel told police he is unemployed and was selling ganja to meet household expenses.[5] Police have previously jailed many drug dealers from the Nabi Karim area.[5] Police did not disclose where Shakeel bought the ganja.[5]