In a bid to crack down on the activities of the drug mafia, poppy plants worth about Rs 3 crore were destroyed following a raid by police in the Similipal Tiger Reserve  (STR) in Mayurbhanj district. The illegal cultivations were detected at Phulabadi and Jojaguda villages under the Jashipur police station. After getting information, a joint team comprising officials of forest, excise, and police reached the areas and destroyed the poppy plants. It was not the first time that such an incident was reported from the core and buffer areas of the STR. On March 10, a massive raid had been conducted by a joint squad on opium plantations at Bakua and Kukurabhuka and over 5.25 lakh plants of opium poppy were destroyed. The plants were approximately valued at Rs 10.66 crore.  On the same day, the team also destroyed 3.85 lakh plants at Jenabil, Khejuri, and Jajagada under the Jashipur range. The plants were valued at Rs 7.70 crore.  On February 24, a squad had destroyed 26 lakh opium plants in the core area. Though illegal plantations have been destroyed, no arrests have been made so far by the authorities.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.