NCB arrests IRS official’s son in Lucknow for sourcing curated marijuana from US

An official of the Narcotics Control Bureau claimed that the accused admitted that he used to import such parcels on a regular basis for the last one-and-a-half years for himself and his friends.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday said it seized 2.7 kilogram of curated (refined quality) marijuana, which was sourced from the US, from Delhi and arrested a 21-year-old son of a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) official from his residence Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar area in this connection on September 18.

The accused allegedly made the payment through bitcoins and came in contact with the US-based consignor through an Instagram account. (Representative image/REUTERS)

NCB officials in Lucknow, who are privy to the matter, said the marijuana was concealed in an air compressor. They said it was to be collected by Cherish Gidwani, the son of the senior IRS official, who was arrested.

A senior NCB official said the consignee (Gidwani) made the payment through bitcoins and came in contact with the US-based consignor through an Instagram account.

He claimed that the man admitted that he used to import such parcels on a regular basis for the last one-and-a-half years for himself and his friends.

He said the accused, an engineering graduate, had been trying for jobs for the past few months but failed in his attempt due to sudden recession following Covid-19 outbreak.

He said a total of 2.7 kg of bud was seized and the best quality of this marijuana was sold at the rate of about ₹ 5,000 per gram. He said the accused also revealed that he used to get ‘charas’ and marijuana from Delhi and Bengaluru-based suppliers.

He said the recent seizures of curated marijuana show that the THC (tetrahydrocannabinol— the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects) content in these contrabands is higher than those seized (Indian grown weeds) earlier.