Uncle-nephew duo held with 3,644 opium plants in Chittorgarh

Bhilwara: Police in Chittorgarh district arrested an uncle-nephew duo Friday night and seized 3,644 illegal opium plants along with 23 cannabis plants during raids in Sukdi village under Rashmi police station limits.Superintendent of Police Manish Tripathi said the action was part of a drive to curb illegal narcotics cultivation and trade in the district. A team supervised by Additional SP Sarita Singh and led by Rashmi SHO Ratan Singh conducted raids on two farms where contraband was allegedly being grown.
Police said the accused had cultivated opium and cannabis plants between cotton and mustard crops to avoid detection. During the operation, the team seized 3,644 opium plants weighing about 540 kg and 23 cannabis plants weighing nearly 63 kg. From the field of Pappulal Jat, police recovered 3,531 opium plants weighing 516.73 kg and 23 cannabis plants weighing 62.98 kg. Another 113 opium plants weighing 23.85 kg were seized from the field of Thakar Lal Jat. The accused were identified as 35-year-old Pappulal and 52-year-old Thakar Lal, both residents of Lukdi village in Rashmi area. Police registered cases under relevant provisions and said further investigation and interrogation of the accused are underway.