Officers detained the main accused, Hitesh alias Sonu Yadav, at the spot during the raid.[1][2] Valsad Local Crime Branch, the district police crime unit, raided Vatar village in Vapi taluka on the basis of a tip-off.[1] Police formally declared two other men involved in the racket wanted after questioning the detained accused.[1] Teams of the LCB and the Special Operation Group are working to reach the roots of the drugs syndicate operating in Vapi and nearby areas.[1]
Officers seized about 1.091 kg of hybrid-weed ganja in the raid.[1][2] Police estimated the value of the seized drugs at about Rs 38,18,000, describing the weed as in heavy demand and highly valuable in the international market.[1] Including the moped allegedly used to carry the weed, cash and a mobile phone, police seized total property worth Rs 38,98,000 from the accused.[1]
Police said preliminary questioning of the accused produced several disclosures about the illegal drugs trade.[1] Police said they have set wheels in motion to catch the wanted accused and reach the main controllers of the racket.[1]
The seized property included Rs 20,010 in cash and a mobile phone besides the ganja and the moped.[2] A forensic science laboratory test confirmed that the white powder in the bag on the rider’s shoulder was ganja.[2] Acting on a tip-off received by Valsad LCB Assistant Sub-Inspector Allarakh Vanii, officers set up a watch outside a farm (wadi) in front of Keshav Colony in Vatar.[2] The accused told police he had collected the ganja near Charmi Kanta in Vatar on the instruction of a man named Suraj and was taking it for delivery to others.[2] The accused and the seized property were handed over to Vapi Town police, who registered an offence under the NDPS Act and declared the man named Suraj and other suspects, associated with Surat, wanted.[2]