ANGUL: Angul police on Wednesday destroyed around five lakh opium plants illegally cultivated over an area of 3.31 acre in Satkosia wildlife sanctuary.
The destroyed opium cultivation was worth around Rs 5 crore. Police also arrested 13 people in this connection. The accused, including six women, are from Takarsingh village under Purunakote police limits. Around one kg of opium worth Rs 6 lakh was seized from them.
Addressing mediapersons, Angul SP Rahul Jain said based on an intelligence report, a team of police raided the forest area near Takarsingh village inside Satkosia and found illegal opium farms spread over a large stretch of land. The team destroyed around five lakh opium plants grown over 3.31 acre of land.
The 13 arrested villagers included the cultivators and financiers of the illegal farming. All the accused were produced in court on Thursday. The SP said further raids will be conducted in new areas inside the sanctuary to trace and destroy illegal cultivation of opium.