For whom the plantation?

Dumka, March 9: Sahebganj police have suggested that smugglers from Bangladesh were involved in cultivating poppy here.

During raids in villages in Barharwa, the police had come across vast tracts of land being used for opium cultivation. Subdivisional police officer Baliram Kujur, who conducted the raids on February 25 and 26, told mediapersons that preliminary investigations had thrown up the possibility of cross-border trafficking of narcotics.

During the raids on Hastipathar (February 25), Abratola and Bhabanandpur villages (February 26), the police had come across 3 acres of opium plantations and seized 40 bundles of the plant. Harvesting would have been possible within a fortnight and the estimated market value of the illegal substance was “not less than Rs 30 lakh”.

Sahebganj superintendent of police was not available for comment.

The intelligence bureau has also in its report to the headquarters talked about the possibility of involvement of international narcotic smugglers behind such cultivation, which is becoming a prevalent practice around these areas.

Police sources said some Bangladeshis had approached the farmers and agreed to pay them if the peasants would allow the land to be used for opium cultivation.

The India-Bangladesh border is located about 68 km from Barharwa.

Rafiqual Seikh, a resident of Abratola, was one of those approached by the Bangladeshis. During interrogation he told the police that he was paid in advance. In exchange, the Bangladeshis wanted permission to use Seikh’s land, which was lying abandoned due to the absence of irrigation. “I don’t know what plants they wanted to grow. But I was excited when they paid me to use my field,” Seikh said.

On March 6, Pakur police arrested one Gadhu Seikh from Siteshnagar village under Muffasil police station for cultivating opium on his 10-acre field. He, too, reportedly confessed before the police that two Bangladeshi citizens had approached him to cultivate opium.

Barharwa police station officer in-charge Shyam Kishor Singh said they had registered cases against the owner of the opium fields. Singh said though the police had destroyed opium plants in Bhabanandpur village, they had not destroyed those on fields falling under Farakka police station in Bengal.

The police registered cases against Abdul Barik, Jaydur Seikh, Sahazan Seikh, Afsar Seikh, Manjar Seikh and Sakin Seikh — all residents of Hastipathar. Two Bengal residents — Rajjak Seikh and Kamal Seikh — have also been booked under section 18/20 of the Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances Act. The police have also filed cases against Kamrul Hoda and Bahurul Hoda, residents of Shikarpur in Farakka.