IMPHAL, Jan 13: Security forces on Tuesday destroyed around 30 acres of illicit poppy cultivation in the Sadim hill range under Senapati Police Station as part of an intensified drive against illegal drug farming in Manipur.
The destruction drive was carried out by a combined team comprising Senapati district police, one section each of B-109, F-36 and C-142 battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), along with representatives from the Forest Department and an Executive Magistrate. A total of 73 officers and personnel participated in the operation.
The teams, led by the Additional Superintendent of Police (NH-2) and conducted under the overall supervision of the Superintendent of Police, Senapati, uprooted and destroyed poppy plants spread over 30 acres. During the operation, four huts erected at the site were also burnt down.
Police said that two bags of urea, two bags of salt, a small well used for water storage, irrigation pipelines and several kilograms of poppy seeds found at the sites were destroyed as part of the drive.
A case has been registered at Senapati Police Station for further investigation. Police said efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved in cultivating the illicit crops, including landowners linked to the poppy fields.
