Manipur: 113 acres of poppy cultivation destroyed using drones

Imphal: The state and central forces using drones destroyed nearly 113 acres of illegal poppy cultivation in the hill ranges of the Senapati, Ukhrul, and Churachandpur districts of Manipur.

A dozen huts used for illegal cultivations of the opium plant plantations were destroyed and burnt down in the presence of the Executive magistrates, the official report said on Friday.

Under the "War on Drugs" campaign, a joint operation led by the dedicated teams of the Police, the Forest Department and the Executive Magistrate successfully destroyed 19 acres of standing poppy plants in the Khabung hill range of the northern Senapati district bordering Nagaland on the north during the past 48 hours.

This coordinated effort, directed by ASP (NH-102), deployed multiple police units from Senapati, Hengbung, Tadubi, Mao, and Maram, along with using drones to locate hidden fields near Khabung village.

In another successful mission, combined district police forces, 6 Manipur Rifles, 18 Assam Rifles, and  Forest Department destroyed 90 acres of poppy plantation.

They burned down 12 huts in the Phalee hill range under Lungchong Maiphei (LM) Police Station in the northeast of the Ukhrul district bordering Myanmar on the east on Thursday. 

Different FIRs have been registered to identify and book the cultivators and further investigations are underway.

The joint team also destroyed four acres of poppy plantation. Ten poppy pods were seized during the campaigns in Haopi Mollen hill range under Sangaikot PS, Churachandpur District bordering Myanmar on the south.