Vapi drug bust: 243 kg cannabis seized, one arrested in Gujarat flat raid
Synopsis
Gujarat's Dungra police cracked a nearly quarter-tonne cannabis haul — worth over ₹1.21 crore — stashed inside a residential flat in Vapi. One man from Odisha is in custody; a second accused remains wanted. The bust spotlights how inter-state drug supply chains are exploiting ordinary residential complexes as storage hubs.
Key Takeaways
Valsad district police seized 243.670 kg of cannabis-based substance worth ₹1,21,83,500 from a flat in Vapi, Gujarat on 25 October 2026 .
Accused Kartik alias Pappu Biswal , 32 , was arrested under the NDPS Act and taken into police custody.
A mobile phone worth ₹5,000 was also seized, taking total recovered property value to ₹1,21,88,500 .
Co-accused Banmali Patra , listed as a co-resident of the same flat, has been named a wanted accused and is absconding.
The operation was supervised by DySP B.N.
Dave and forms part of Gujarat 's state-wide zero-tolerance drive against narcotics.
The Valsad district police seized 243.670 kg of a cannabis-based narcotic substance valued at ₹1.21 crore and arrested a 32-year-old man during a raid on a residential flat in Vapi, Gujarat, on 25 October 2026. The bust, carried out by the Dungra police, follows a tip-off that the accused was stockpiling and retailing the contraband from within the housing complex.
How the Raid Unfolded
Acting on intelligence received by Police Sub-Inspector K.R. Chotaliya, a police team moved on Room G/8 in Building E/4 of Lakeview Residency in Vapi. The accused, identified as Kartik alias Pappu Biswal, was apprehended on the spot. Officers recovered the full consignment of cannabis-based substance along with a mobile phone worth ₹5,000, bringing the total value of seized property to ₹1,21,88,500, according to a police statement.
Who Is the Accused
Biswal, 32, is employed and resides in Dungra but originally hails from Badas village in the Baliapal police station area of Balasore district, Odisha. He has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and placed in police custody for further questioning. A second accused, Banmali Patra — listed as a co-resident at the same flat — has been named a wanted accused in the case and remains at large.
Senior Officials Supervised the Operation
The raid was conducted under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) B.N. Dave, who heads the Vapi division and had issued standing instructions to act against narcotics networks in the area. The operation is consistent with Gujarat's stated zero-tolerance approach to drug offences, reinforced publicly by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and state police chief G.S. Malik, who has directed sustained anti-drug drives across the state.
Investigation Ongoing
Dungra police said they are continuing to probe the origin of the seized substance and working to determine whether additional individuals were involved in its storage or distribution. The focus, according to officials, is on tracing the supply chain upstream from Biswal's flat. This comes amid a broader state-level crackdown on drug networks that has seen multiple seizures across Gujarat's southern districts in recent months.
Point of View
Not a casual user. The detail that the accused is from Balasore, Odisha, and was operating out of Vapi underlines how southern Gujarat's industrial belt has become a transit and storage corridor for inter-state drug supply chains. The naming of a second, still-absconding accused raises the question of how deep this network runs and whether the Dungra police have the resources to pursue it beyond the immediate arrest. Gujarat's zero-tolerance rhetoric from the Chief Minister downward needs to translate into supply-chain dismantling, not just headline seizures.
NationPress
26 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was seized in the Vapi drug raid on 25 October 2026?
Police seized 243.670 kg of a cannabis-based narcotic substance valued at ₹1,21,83,500, along with a mobile phone worth ₹5,000, from Room G/8 in Building E/4 of Lakeview Residency in Vapi. The total value of recovered property stands at ₹1,21,88,500 according to the police statement.
Who was arrested in the Vapi narcotics case?
Kartik alias Pappu Biswal, 32, was arrested by the Dungra police. He is originally from Badas village in Balasore district, Odisha, and was residing and working in Dungra, Gujarat at the time of his arrest.
What law has been invoked against the accused?
Biswal has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and placed in police custody for further investigation.
Is anyone else wanted in connection with this case?
Yes. Banmali Patra, listed as a co-resident of the same flat at Lakeview Residency, has been named a wanted accused in the case. He remains at large, and police are actively searching for him.
What is the broader context of this seizure in Gujarat?
The bust is part of Gujarat's state-level zero-tolerance drive against narcotics, backed by directives from Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and state police chief G.S. Malik. Dungra police are investigating the source of the substance to determine the full extent of the supply network.
