Under a special anti-drug campaign, the Mandi district police on Sunday carried out multiple operations against illegal narcotics cultivation and trafficking across different parts of the district, registering several cases under the NDPS Act.
According to Mandi SP Vinod Kumar, two separate cases under Section 18 of the NDPS Act were registered at Aut police station following raids in the remote village of Dhloot.
During the first operation, police teams detected illegal opium cultivation spread across nearly 10 biswa of land. A total of 3,220 opium plants were recovered from the site. The plants were seized and destroyed as per legal procedure. The case has been registered against unidentified persons and further investigation is underway.
In another operation in the same village, the police discovered an additional illegal opium plantation spread over around nine biswa of land. The police recovered 2,751 opium plants from the area. The crop was again destroyed after seizure, while a fresh case under the NDPS Act was registered against unidentified persons.
In a separate crackdown, a joint team of STF Centre Range Mandi at Bajaura Kullu and Police Station, Balh, intercepted a Tata Ace vehicle during naka checking at Nagchala. During the search, police recovered 264 gram of charas from the vehicle.
Following the seizure, the police registered a case under Sections 20 and 29 of the NDPS Act and arrested two accused — Ravinder Kumar and Vijay Kumar. Meanwhile, another case under Section 20 of the NDPS Act was registered at Sadar Mandi police station after a police team from Pandoh Police Post intercepted a youth near the Transit Camp at Sayogi during routine patrolling and vehicle checking.
The police recovered 265 gram of charas from a bag carried by the accused, identified as Anshu. The district police said all arrested accused were being produced before the competent court for further legal proceedings. The anti-drug campaign continues across Mandi district with intensified surveillance against narcotics cultivation and smuggling.
