In a significant drug crackdown, police apprehended three inter-state drug traffickers in Keonjhar district’s Barbil area on Tuesday, seizing more than 50 kilograms of poppy straw. The accused—Pawan Mohato (53) from Kalaguju village, Bholanath Mandal (26) from Kera village, and Suru Das (50) from Jhikpani Gududihutting—were caught near Belkundi football ground while awaiting to sell the contraband to local dealers.
Along with the poppy straw, police recovered Rs 1,000 in cash and a mobile phone from the suspects. The operation, conducted on credible intelligence and overseen by the tehsildar-cum-executive magistrate of Barbil, was carried out under the provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Investigations revealed that the trio sourced the poppy straw from states like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana. However, there has been a growing trend of cultivation spreading to rural parts of Jharkhand and Bihar, with truck drivers identified as the primary consumers.
Barbil police station’s IIC, Ashok Nayak, stated, “Further investigations are ongoing to track down additional members of this drug network. Strict action will be taken against all involved in drug trafficking.”
