Latehar district police continue its stride against poppy cultivation and its products like poppy straw or opium non stoppable.
According to the SP Latehar Anjani Anjan Baariyatu police seized little over 541 kgs of poppy straw worth 81 lakhs plus on Thursday.
The 541 kgs of poppy straw were stuffed in 18 bags.
One person identified as Bhagat Ganjhu has been arrested with this huge illicit consignment of poppy straw.
The seizure was made from Bhagat Ganjhu's house. He has been remanded in judicial custody in Latehar today.
SP Anjani Anjan said this man was in cahoots with one Golden having notoriety of illicit trade like this narcotic poppy etc.
There was a tip off about arms and drugs and police without making any mistake searched the house of Bhagat Ganjhu where this haul of poppy straw was found and seized. No arms was found.
Anjani Anjan said land across the Amanat river inside Latehar district and in the contiguity of Chatra has a potentiality for this banned crop.
Poppy has its own way to influence polling. It's cash open. Again poppy cultivators don't mind spending few lakhs of rupees if politician does not impede his illicit drug business.
It is said fashionable drugs have eaten into the Punjab,back here in Jharkhand's Chatra, Latehar and Palamu poppy cultivation rules the roost of the agrarian economy.
Latehar police are out to crush it but it's not any simple job when its cultivation is seen as a source of livelihood.
It's a non stoppable drive here as Latehar district police has a rare achievement to its credit when in one swoop it had seized 1600 kgs of poppy straw.
It was worth 2 crores. No where in Jharkhand such a huge haul of poppy straw was ever made as it was done in Latehar.
SP Latehar Anjani Anjan told this correspondent today "We had seized 1600 kgs of poppy straw. We never knew this could fetch 2 crores in narcotics market."
Anjani Anjan further said "We had an idea that it is 2000 rupees per kg of poppy straw. It was all wrong. It's in fact 15000 rupees per kg of poppy straw as per NCB estimated price."
Baariyatu police have drawn FIR against 3 more identified as Mahender, Golden and Ganesh. These 3 have gone into hiding.
A team of 10 men in uniform led by SDPO Balumath A K Satyam made this seizure.
