Telangana priest arrested for growing ganja in temple garden
A temple priest in Telangana, Avuti Nagaiah, was arrested for secretly growing and selling ganja (cannabis) right on the temple grounds.
Police found 685 cannabis plants hidden among marigold flowers in the garden—Nagaiah reportedly used the flowers to mask both the look and smell of the plants.
While performing his regular priestly duties, he allegedly packaged and sold drugs without raising suspicion.
Investigators are looking into how long this operation had been running
During their raid, authorities seized over 17kg of dry ganja, nearly a kilo of seeds, ₹30,000 cash, a weighing machine, and a mobile phone—altogether valued at around ₹70 lakh.
Investigators are now looking into how long this operation had been running and whether others were involved.
The case has sparked concerns about how religious spaces can sometimes be misused for illegal activities.