Imphal: At least eight poppy planters and a village chief were arrested in a surprise raid at Khabum village in the Senapati district of Manipur.
The accused had been giving slips to the police for the past three weeks, and were arrested from the village bordering Nagaland to the north, a high-ranking official of the Home Department informed.
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Acting on a tip-off, and under the overall supervision of Senapati district police Superintendent of Police Karthik Malladi, a team of district police, led by Additional SP ML Khaisung, raided the Khaibung village at around 1 am on Tuesday and apprehended the eight alleged poppy farmers, including the chief of the village.
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The planters had been in hiding since December 23.
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Following the raid and arrests, the police personnel, along with law enforcement agents and villagers, destroyed 60 acres of standing poppy plants.
In total, 330 acres of standing poppy plants have now been destroyed in the 19 villages of the Senapati district. The arrested persons, who were booked under the NDPS Act, are now in Senapati district police custody for further interrogation, the source added.
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In response, Chief Minister N Biren Singh tweeted that around 15 acres of poppy plantations had been destroyed at Lhangsom Village under Saikul Police Station in Kangpokpi district.