Opium seized, locals scythe poppy plants
Source: Chronicle News Service
Churachandpur, February 02 2023:
A team of Churachandpur police station on Thursday seized a huge quantity of opium at Ginkhochin Veng, Churachandpur.
According to the police, the district police received reliable information around 2 pm about a huge quantity of contraband opium being sold at the residence of one Kimneithiem (43), w/o Soithianlal of Ginkhochin, Veng headquarters, Churachandpur.
Subsequently, a team reached the said house at 3:10 pm and found a woman, namely Kimneithem, and four children.
Subsequently, a requisition was made to the district magistrate for conducting house search and with the arrival of SDC (Churachandpur) Jangminlien Lupho the search was conducted which resulted in the recovery of one sack near the kitchen containing three packets of suspected opium weighing 2935 grams, suspected poppy seeds weighing 3700 grams, suspected brown sugar contained in a tobacco can weighing 7 grams (including the weight of the tobacco can).
Further, Rs 70,730 in cash suspected to be proceeds from sale of contraband drugs, one Oppo mobile phone and one Aadhaar card in the name of Kimneithiem were found in the house.
The items were seized at 4 pm and Kimneithiem arrested at 4:15 pm by observing formalities.
An FIR has been registered in connection with the seizure.
SENAPATI: In support of the government's "War on Drugs" campaign, Tumnoupokpi (Nteiramphung) Village Authority in collaboration with Thangal Students' Union (TAJ) destroyed poppy plantations.
As soon as it came to their knowledge about poppy field in Tumnoupokpi's land, the villagers informed the DC and SP Kangpokpi and with full support of the district ad ministration along with the volunteers from the village and TAJ, poppy destruction drive was carried out for the third time on Thursday, covering an area of about 25 acres.
The first poppy destruction drive (6 acres approximately) was conducted on January 19 and second (10 acres approximately) on January 28.As many as 70 volunteers and about 80 police personnel and forest guards took part in the drive.
It is pertinent to highlight that the poppy cultivators are residents of other unknown villages who have not only encroached the hills area of the Tumnoupokpi village but gone to the extent of planting poppy in the area.
In a statement, the Tumnoupokpi Village Authority vehemently condemned such act of encroachment and plantation of poppy in their forest land.
The village also appealed the cultivators to stop such illegal act and to the administration to conduct thorough enquiry to apprehend the cultivators and punish them as per law of the land.
S Johnson, chief/chairman of Tumnoupokpi, also mentioned that the village will be glad to receive any form of assistance from the government to enable them to take up re-afforestation activities or aid for cultivation' of alternate crops in the affected land.
Addressing media persons, S Johnson informed that the land was found to have been cultivated without the knowledge of the villagers.
He further said that the poppy destruction drive carried out for the next generation and appealed to all those involved not to continue such illegal cultivation in future.
Seikhomang Khongsai, DSP Saparmeina Police Station, said that under the supervision of Kangpokpi SP, the anti-poppy drive covering around 25-30 acres was carried out in the presence of Kangpokpi district police, forest department and NAB apart from village volunteers and Thangal Students' Union (TAJ) .