53 acres of poppy fields destroyed in Kangpokpi

Imphal: In a crackdown on illegal poppy cultivation, a combined team of Manipur Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), forest department and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday destroyed 53 acres of poppy cultivation in the hill ranges of Moljol, Tusam, Vaichei-Naphai and surrounding areas in Kangpokpi district.

During the operation, security forces dismantled and burnt seven huts used by cultivators and destroyed large quantities of materials used for poppy farming, including 11 bags of fertilisers, 23 bottles of herbicides, 14 bags of salt, and various equipment such as spray pumps, pipes and other cultivation tools.

In a separate operation on the same day, Manipur Police arrested an active cadre of the proscribed Kangleipak Communist Party-MFL, identified as Phamdom Dinesh Singh alias Wangba alias Thembung (37), from his locality in Imphal West. According to police sources, the arrested cadre was actively involved in recruiting youths for the outfit. Police also rescued four persons who had been confined in a rented house at Langjing and were being forcibly prepared for recruitment into the banned organisation, police said.

One mobile handset and one motorcycle, without a registration number, were recovered from his possession.