KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, June 19: Acting on a tip off, a police team arrested two men for allegedly smuggling opium on the NH- 33 along the Chowka thana area in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district, about 40 kms away from here on Monday.
Those arrested were identified as Somay Singh Munda and Lakhindra Mahto, both local residents.
While arresting the two, the police recovered a packet containing 400 grams of opium and Rs 21,000 from the possession of the accused.
Revealing about the breakthrough, the Chandil sub-divisional police officer, Sanjay Kumar Singh said that the two arrested men would buy the opium from the interior places close to Khunti and Tamar police station areas and sell the narcotic substance to the truck drivers at a line-hotel on the NH-33 along Jhabri village regularly.
“Acting on a tip off, we had set up a checking point near Jhabri village. On seeing two bike-borne men, we stopped them and searched to find the opium packet and the cash from their possession, ” said Singh while addressing a press conference.
The SDPO further said on being interrogated, the duo confessed their crime and divilged that they would also sell ‘doda’ which is a byproduct of opium to the truck drivers through the line-hotel belonging to one Ramakant Singh Munda.
“A police team soon raided that line-hotel and found 10 kgs of doda kept in powder form in a sack. The police team also found a grinder machine meant for grinding the doda into powder form. The duo would sell the substance by making packets of the doda powder, ” explained the senior police officer.
It may be mentioned here a large number of villagers tend to grow poppy plants in remote villages in Chowka area in the Seraikela-Kharsawan, close to Khunti and Tamar districts where there is still considerable naxals influence. Though the police do carry out drive to destroy the poppy plants regularly, the villagers having a criminal bent of mind continue to do the poppy cultivation from which opium and doda are produced.
