Four individuals linked to illegal poppy cultivation were arrested as Manipur police continued its drive against the illicit activities in hill areas amid the ongoing strife.
The four arrested individuals were identified as Peimi Ramsak (27), Lightson Shimrah (49), Kapangkhui Khashim, and Yatei SV (22). They were taken to custody, the police said on Sunday.
An air gun and two knives were seized from their possessions. They were arrested during a late-night operation on December 6-7 in the Khamason hill range of Ukhrul district, acting on specific intelligence inputs.
During the operation, the police discovered a plantation of poppies on around 30 acres of fields. In another drive, the police, in a joint operation with personnel of the state forest department personnel along with an executive magistrate, destroyed poppy in around one acre at the hill range of Mao Pungdong under Mao police station of Senapati district on Saturday. The police also initiated action against the village chairman of the area, the police said.
