Hyderabad techie loses job to addiction, arrested for terrace cannabis farm

A former software engineer in Hyderabad was arrested after allegedly converting the terrace of his home into a cannabis cultivation site following job loss linked to marijuana addiction, officials said.

The accused, identified as CH Shashidhar, a resident of Nacharam, was arrested recently during a raid conducted by officials of the Prohibition and Excise Department based on specific intelligence inputs.

During the search, officials recovered 17 cannabis plants from the rooftop of his residence. Authorities said the plants were estimated to yield nearly 10 kg of ganja.

Some of the plants had already begun flowering, while others had grown as tall as three metres, indicating sustained cultivation over time.

Investigators said Shashidhar allegedly developed a severe dependence on marijuana while employed at a software company and was spending a major portion of his salary on the substance. He later quit his job as the addiction deepened.

With no stable source of income, he allegedly procured cannabis seeds and began growing the plants on his terrace for personal consumption.

A case has been registered, and further investigations are underway to determine whether the accused had any links to wider supply or distribution networks.

In a separate anti-narcotics operation in Uttar Pradesh, police arrested three alleged drug traffickers and seized 103 kg of cannabis valued at around ₹52 lakh from a truck on April 21.

Additional Superintendent of Police Shubham Agrawal said a joint team of the Special Operations Group and local police intercepted the vehicle during a checking drive on National Highway-19 under Gopiganj police station limits.

A search of the truck led to the recovery of six sacks containing 103 kg of cannabis. Officials said the seized contraband carried an estimated international market value of ₹52 lakh.

The arrested men were identified as Harvinder Singh Yadav, Mohit Parashar and Nilesh Lodhi.

During questioning, the trio allegedly confessed to sourcing cannabis at lower prices from Odisha and supplying it across multiple districts of Uttar Pradesh.