Narcotics worth Rs. 50 lakh seized in Khunti; two held in police crackdown

Khunti — Police in Khunti district seized narcotic substances worth nearly ?50 lakh and arrested two persons during a raid in the Arki police station area on Thursday, officials said.

Acting on a tip-off received by Superintendent of Police Manish Toppo, a team conducted a search at a house in Babu Toli of Naudhi village. The operation was led by Station House Officer Praveen Kumar Tiwari.

During the raid, police detained Ankit Hajam alias Saju Thakur, who allegedly admitted his involvement in the illegal trade along with his brother. Based on his disclosure, officers recovered 330.21 kg of ‘doda’ — a raw material used in the production of opium — packed in 21 sacks. The seized consignment is estimated to be worth about ?49.53 lakh.

Following this, police carried out another raid and arrested the second accused, Lalu Hajam. A case has been registered at Arki police station under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

The operation involved SHO Tiwari, Sub-Inspector Manish Kumar, Kundan Kumar, and armed personnel from the Arki police station.

This comes a day after police seized 39.79 kg of doda and 6.320 kg of opium in the Jariagarh police station area. In that case, four accused were arrested and sent to jail, highlighting intensified action against narcotics in the district.

With inputs from IANS