KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, May 9: Police and paramilitary forces arrested a youth for allegedly indulging in the smuggling of opium in a naxals-stronghold area under Chowka thana in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district about 40 km away from here on Tuesday morning.
The police have recovered 4.5 kg of opium from the possession of the youth identified as Mangal Munda who is a resident of Mutup village in Chowka where he was arrested.
Besides the opium, a motorcycle that the accused was using in the smuggling activity has also been seized.
Revealing the breakthrough, Chandil sub-divisional police officer Sanjay Kumar Singh said that they had intelligence input about a local resident of Mutup village being indulged in opium smuggling.
“We got specific information about the suspect’s movement this morning. He was supposed to come out of his village with a consignment of opium by riding his bike. But Mutup being a naxal-infested village, we had to follow standard operating procedure before carrying out any raid. As the suspect emerged from a village road, the police and the CRPF personnel intercepted the bike he was riding. On searching the bike the police found a packet containing opium in it. Soon the youth was taken into custody, ” said Singh while addressing a press conference at a police office in Chandil.
The SDPO said the seized opium must have been produced in the Chowka region itself adding that they are trying to find out the exact source of the opium and its buyers.
It may be mentioned here that of late poppy cultivation has become a lucrative business in the Chowka, Chandil and Ichagarh areas of the Seraikela-Kharsawan district which has still significant naxal influence.
Some people having criminal bent of mind and links with Naxals are engaged in poppy plant cultivation in the forest land. After harvesting the poppy flowers from the plants, such people process the flowers to produce opium besides gaining ‘doda’ and ‘postu’ from it.
Doda is also an intoxicating substance consumed mainly by truck drivers as it prevents them from dropping their eyelids during driving. Postu is a delicious consumable item and is sold at a high price in the market.
