Latest news with #ProhibitionAct
Hans India
20 hours ago
- Hans India
Farmer arrested for cultivating marijuana in Gujarat village
Ahmedabad: The Special Operations Group (SOG) police conducted a raid in Kalasar village of Chotila taluka in Gujarat's Surendranagar district and arrested 42-year-old farmer Bhabhalu Nathabhai Khachar for illegal cultivation of marijuana. Acting on a tip-off, the SOG team raided Khachar's residence and seized 38 green marijuana plants weighing approximately 1.55 kg, with an estimated market value of Rs 15,500. During interrogation, Khachar admitted to growing the plants in his courtyard for sale. A case has been registered against him at Chotila police station under the Narcotics Act, and further action is underway. Notably, the SOG operated independently of the local police, raising questions about prior knowledge and coordination. Police records reveal Khachar has a history of nine previous offences, including violations under the Prohibition Act, GP Act, Motor Vehicle Act, and BNS. Gujarat has witnessed a significant surge in narcotics seizures over the past five years, reflecting the state's role as a critical node in both domestic and international drug trafficking networks. Between 2018 and 2022, authorities confiscated 93,691 kg of drugs, 2,229 litres of liquid narcotics, and 93,763 drug pills and injections, with a total value exceeding Rs 5,000 crore. The most recent data indicates a concerning trend: in 2024, Gujarat reported the seizure of 6,574 kg of ganja (marijuana), a notable decrease from 12,486 kg in 2023. This decline may reflect shifting trafficking patterns or enhanced enforcement measures. Despite the reduction in marijuana seizures, the state continues to grapple with significant quantities of other narcotics, including heroin, hashish, and synthetic drugs. The state's extensive coastline and proximity to international borders facilitate the smuggling of narcotics, often through maritime routes and concealed shipments. For instance, in September 2021, authorities seized nearly 3,000 kg of heroin at Mundra Port, originating from Iran and disguised as talc stones from Afghanistan. In April 2025, a joint operation by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard resulted in the seizure of 300 kg of methamphetamine, valued at Rs 1,800 crore, dumped by smugglers off the Gujarat coast. Additionally, in July 2025, narcotics worth Rs 875 crore were destroyed in Kutch.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Petition in Gujarat HC uncovers ‘murder' of man's partner by her father, uncle
A habeas corpus petition filed in the Gujarat high court last month by an 18-year-old woman's live-in partner led to the revelation of her 'murder' by her father and uncle, after she was found dead just days before the hearing, news agency PTI reported. Police cracked the case with the help of CCTV footage and fingerprint evidence collected from the scene of the crime.(AP) Police in Banaskantha district said the accused tried to portray her death as 'suicide'. According to the FIR registered on Wednesday, Haresh Chaudhary, who is already married and has a son, fell in love with the woman after giving her a lift till Palanpur from Tharad town. Assistant superintendent of police Suman Nala said, 'It is not yet clear if Chaudhary had told the woman about his marital status.' Her uncle, Shivrambhai Patel, has been arrested, while efforts are on to nab her father, Sendhabhi Patel, police said. When was the habeas corpus filed? Acting on a complaint by her live-in partner Haresh Chaudhary, police on Wednesday lodged an FIR and booked the woman's father, Sendhabhi Patel, and uncle, Shivrambhai Patel, for the murder, officer Suman Nala said. 'The girl was in love with Chaudhary. The two had also signed a live-in agreement, which was not acceptable to Sendhabhi and his brother. Thus, both of them strangled her after rendering her unconscious on June 24. They performed her last rites without informing police,' PTI quoted Nala as saying. Banaskantha superintendent of police Akshayraj Makwana had last week ordered an inquiry into the woman's death after Chaudhary, a resident of Vadgamda village in Tharad taluka, alleged in an application that she may have been killed by her relatives, who opposed their relationship and intended to marry her off to someone else. What happened after she travelled to Ahmedabad In May, the couple eloped to Ahmedabad, where they formalised their live-in relationship through an agreement before travelling to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. On June 12, Tharad police officers, accompanied by one of the woman's relatives, traced them to a hotel in Rajasthan. The girl was handed over to her uncle, while Chaudhary was taken into custody in connection with an old case under the Prohibition Act in Bhachau, Kutch district. Upon his release from prison on June 21, Chaudhary saw that the woman had sent him two Instagram messages on June 17, expressing fear that her family might kill her or force her into marriage with someone else. Chaudhary said he was unable to see the messages at the time as he was incarcerated. He then contacted his solicitor, who filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat high court, requesting that the woman be presented before the court. However, on June 25– just two days before the hearing – Chaudhary learnt that she had died on the night of June 24, and that her last rites had been conducted the following morning. Police investigations later revealed, according to the FIR, that the woman's father and uncle resolved to kill her, fearing she might again elope with the complainant. "When the girl was at Shivrambhai's house at Dantiya village in Tharad on the night of June 24, she was offered milk containing sleeping pills. When she fell unconscious, the duo strangled her and performed her last rites the next morning to hide their crime," said Nala.
NDTV
5 days ago
- NDTV
Against Her Relationship With A Married Man, Father Kills Daughter: Cops
Palanpur: A probe into the death of an 18-year-old girl just a couple of days before a habeas corpus plea filed by her live-in partner was to come up for hearing in the Gujarat High Court last month has led to the arrest of a her uncle, while her father is missing, police official said on Thursday. Based on a complaint submitted by her live-in partner Haresh Chaudhary, police had on Wednesday lodged an FIR and booked the girl's father Sendhabhi Patel and uncle Shivrambhai Patel for murder, Danta division Assistant Superintendent of Police Suman Nala said. Her uncle Shivrambhai Patel has been arrested, while efforts are on to nab the girl's father, Nala said. "The girl was in love with Chaudhary. They two had also signed a live-in agreement, which was not acceptable to Sendhabhai and his brother. Thus, both of them strangled her after rendering her unconcious on June 24. They performed her last rites without informing police," Nala said. Last week, Banaskantha Superintendent of Police Akshayraj Makwana had ordered a probe into the teen girl's death after Chaudhary, a resident of Vadgamda village in Banaskanth's Tharad taluka, approached him with an application alleging she may have been killed by her kin as they were opposed to their relationship and wanted to marry her off to someone else. As per the FIR registered on Wednesday, Chaudhary, who is already married and has a son, fell in love with the girl after he gave her a lift till Palanpur from Tharad town. According to Nala, it is not yet clear if Chaudhary had told the girl about his marital status. In May, both eloped and reached Ahmedabad where they signed a formal agreement of live-in relationship, after which they travelled to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. However, on June 12, Tharad policemen and a relative of the girl tracked them down to a hotel in Rajasthan. The girl was handed over to her uncle Shivrambhai, while Chaudhary was arrested in an old case filed under Prohibition Act in Bhachau in Kutch district. After coming out of jail on June 21, Chaudhary learnt the girl had messaged her twice on June 17 using Instagram, in which she expressed fear of being killed by her kin or being married off to someone else. He couldn't read the messages when they were sent since he was in jail at the time, as per Chaudhary. He then contacted his lawyer, who filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking that the girl be produced before the court. However, on June 25, just two days before the hearing, Chaudhary learnt that she had died on the night of June 24 and her last rites were also performed the next morning. A subsequent investigation by police revealed the girl's father and uncle had decided to kill her out of fear that she may once again elope with the complainant, the FIR stated. "When the girl was at Shivrambhai's house at Dantiya village in Tharad on the night of June 24, she was offered milk containing sleeping pills. When she fell unconscious, the duo strangled her and performed her last rites the next morning to hide their crime," said Nala. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
02-08-2025
- Indian Express
In two separate cases, Gujarat Police begins probe after suspicion raised over cause of death – days after last rites
Two simultaneous but separate investigations into the suspicious deaths of young people, an 18-year-old woman in Banaskantha and a 24-year-old man in Ahmedabad, are currently underway in Gujarat. In both cases, people close to the deceased have raised suspicion about the cause of death – several days after the last rites of the deceased were carried out. While no breakthrough has been made yet in the Banaskantha case, in which the live-in partner of Chandrika Chaudhary (18) had accused her kin of killing her, in the case of 24-year-old Allarakha Abdulrashid Abdal in Ahmedabad, one person has been arrested. In Chandrika's case, the fact that the body has been cremated, and that there is no video evidence of the crime, has made the task all the more challenging for the police. However, in the Ahmedabad case, the CCTV footage of the deceased being involved in a brawl with a man proved to be a clincher for officers of Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) in Ahmedabad who are investigating the case. An Accidental Death (AD) report was filed at Danilimda police station after Abdal was found lying unconscious on a street on June 15. He was later pronounced dead. 'Initially, the family buried the body without a post-mortem examination. However, the deceased's father later raised suspicions, prompting a deeper investigation,' according to a statement from the Crime Branch. During inquiry, it was found that Abdal had been involved in a fight with one Mohammad Shahrukh alias Kesar the same day, right before the time of the death. 'The breakthrough came from reviewing CCTV footage from the police's Smart City Nirbhaya cameras near the incident site. The footage clearly showed the two men in a brawl,' said the Crime Branch. Confronted with this evidence, Kesar allegedly admitted to the fight. Based on the CCTV footage and the suspect's admission, authorities have concluded that the case involves suspected assault immediately before death. Legal action is now being pursued in the issue by Danilimda police station. In the Banaskantha case, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Danta division, Suman Nala is carrying out the probe. On Friday, she spoke to the immediate family members of the deceased. In his complaint, the deceased woman's partner Haresh had stated that the duo had signed a 'formal agreement of live-in relationship' in Ahmedabad before leaving Gujarat. However, police along with the woman's kin traced the couple to Rajasthan. While Chandrika was handed over to her uncle, Haresh was arrested in an old Prohibition Act case. After coming out of jail, Haresh filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking that the woman be produced before the court. On June 25, just two days before the matter was set for hearing, Haresh learnt that Chandrika had died on the same day.
Indian Express
01-08-2025
- Indian Express
‘Forcibly' separated from her live-in partner, teenager dies two days before habeas corpus hearing; Gujarat Police begins probe
Sometime in May this year, a young couple in love began living together against the wishes of the woman's parents. To be on the safe side, Haresh Chaudhary (23) and his partner 18-year-old Chandrika Chaudhary also signed a 'formal agreement of live-in relationship' before moving out of Gujarat to start a new life. A few days later, on June 12, three policemen and a relative of the woman tracked them down to a hotel in neighbouring Rajasthan. While the woman was handed over to her uncle, Haresh was arrested in an old case pertaining to the Prohibition Act. A few days later, when he walked out of jail, Haresh's first instinct was to go looking for Chandrika — both belonged to Tharad taluka in Banaskantha. When she was nowhere to be found, he filed a habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat High Court seeking that the girl be produced before the court. However, on June 25, just two days before the matter was set for hearing, Haresh learnt that Chandrika had died on the same day. Gujarat Police have now begun an investigation into the death. 'The (deceased's) family members claim that when they woke up in the morning, they found the young woman dead, that it (the death) was of natural causes and that several family members and villagers were present during her last rites,' said Banaskantha Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshayraj Makwana, who has ordered an inquiry into the death of the teenager. The complaint in this regard was filed by Haresh expressing the suspicion that the teenager's family may have killed her as they were opposed to their relationship. Earlier, on June 26, Haresh even sent an application to the CM, the Home Minister, DGP, State Human Rights Commission and Gujarat State Commission for Women. A junior officer had inquired into the matter. Since the result was not satisfactory to the complainant, the inquiry was handed over to a senior officer of Banaskantha Police on July 31, said SP Makwana. The inquiry, headed by Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Suman Nala of Danta division of Banaskantha Police, however, has major challenges before it. The most immediate among these is that there appears to be no immediate method to find out whether the woman had died of natural causes or not. This is because the woman's family allegedly cremated her without informing the police. ASP Nala, who began her inquiry into the case on Friday, spoke to the immediate family members of the deceased. The inquiry team was working on the case when last reports came in. In his complaint, Haresh also blamed Tharad police for the death claiming they had taken away the woman forcibly and handed her over to her kin. According to Haresh, he and Chandrika had signed a 'formal agreement of live-in relationship' in Ahmedabad, after which they travelled to Madhya Pradesh and then to Rajasthan. Following his arrest in the Prohibition Act case, Haresh said Chandrika was brought to Tharad police station where she refused to go to her parents' place. According to Haresh, the police coerced her into going home by threatening to frame her partner in false cases. After coming out of jail, Haresh learnt that Chandrika had messaged him twice on June 17 using Instagram, expressing fear of being killed by her kin or being married off to someone else. He couldn't read the messages immediately after they were sent as he was in jail at the time, Haresh said. When his habeas corpus petition in the Gujarat HC came up for hearing on June 27, the court was informed that the woman had died. Following this, the bench of Justice Vaibhavi Nanavati disposed of the plea after taking on record the girl's death certificate. With more than a month having passed since Chandrika's death and cremation, SP Makwana acknowledged that the police could not see any immediate way to verify the cause of the death of the woman. 'The family has said that she died of natural causes, possibly a heart attack. Had the police been informed at that point, we would have registered an Accidental Death (AD) report and investigated the matter,' he said. However, the ASP and her team would use all avenues to investigate the matter, said SP Makwana. (With PTI Inputs)
