Authorities have launched an investigation after a healthy cannabis plant, secretly planted, was discovered on a resort property in Wayanad. Acting on a tip-off, the Meenangadi police and the District Anti-Narcotics Special Action Force (DANSAF) conducted a raid at Wayanadia Resort and Hotel near Meenangadi on May 20. During the inspection, officials discovered a healthy 85-centimetre-tall ganja plant growing in a flowerpot within an overgrown garden on the edge of the property.

However, the garden was part of a now-defunct restaurant previously managed by a different group. The property is privately owned and has been leased out in sections — one to the resort operators, another to the former restaurant team, and parts to other parties.

Initial suspicion points to the possibility of the plant being sown by a staff member, potentially among the many migrant workers employed there. A case has been registered, and police have begun an investigation. According to the FIR, the plant was found in a bushy area of the property along National Highway 766, at Kolagappara, between Sulthan Bathery and Meenangadi.

The discovery and ensuing police action have caused considerable embarrassment to both the property owners and the lessees. “Some customers even began jokingly asking if fresh ganja leaves were available at the resort. At one point, the management considered filing a defamation suit but eventually decided it was better to let the matter fade than escalate it in court," an employee of the resort told Onmanorama.

Meanwhile, staff members claimed they were unaware of the cannabis plant’s presence until the police team arrived for the search. Until then, many assumed it was just another ornamental plant in the abandoned garden.