A Bengaluru couple found themselves in legal trouble after they posted videos of their balcony garden on Facebook. The posts included images of plants later identified as ganja, according to a report in The Indian Express. The couple, Sagar Gurung, 37, and his wife Urmila Kumari, 38, from Namchi in Sikkim, had been living in the MSR Nagar area of Sadashivanagar for two years. While Sagar runs a local eatery, Urmila, a homemaker, recently became more active on social media, sharing photos of their home garden with her followers.
But what seemed like an innocent display of their horticultural efforts quickly turned into a criminal investigation when one of Urmila's followers spotted ganja plants among the flower pots in the video. The follower alerted the police, prompting an immediate raid on the couple's residence on November 5.
Upon arrival, the police faced resistance, with the couple denying any wrongdoing. During their search, officers discovered that two flower pots appeared to have been hastily emptied before the authorities arrived. According to a report in The Times Of India, Urmila had been warned by a relative about the impending raid and swiftly discarded the plants in a dustbin. Despite this, traces of the ganja plants were found in the pots, and some leaves remained visible.
Following further questioning, Sagar and Urmila confessed to cultivating ganja and directed the police to the discarded plants. Officers recovered 54 grams of ganja from the pots and seized their mobile phones, including Urmila's, used to upload social media posts. The couple has been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The authorities believe the couple may have been involved in larger-scale operations, potentially cultivating ganja for commercial purposes. The police confirmed the photos were uploaded on October 18, despite Urmila's initial denials of sharing them.
Following their arrest, the couple was released on station bail.