Five held with 7.5 kg opium in Jharkhand

The Ranchi subzone Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested five persons with 7.5 kilograms of opium in the Tupudana area, officials said on Wednesday.

According to NCB, the drugs were seized from a four-wheeler after they received intelligence inputs about large quantities of opium moving from Ranchi to Hazaribagh.

On September 1, intensive enforcement efforts were carried out by NCB Ranchi based on intelligence inputs. This resulted in the crackdown on an opium trafficking network operating between Ranchi to Hazaribagh and further Uttar Pradesh. The drugs were seized from the possessions of one Mangal Singh Munda and four others who were travelling in a four-wheeler with him, as per the statement.

All five persons who have been arrested have been identified as Mangal Singh Munda, l Purti, Arun Dangi, Devendra Ram and Salgi Mundu.

The NCB has launched a systematic investigation in the case with a special focus on the financial trail of this network, beyond that, linkages are also being explored regarding the proceeds possibly going into anti-state activities especially in the Naxalite infested areas.

The illicit opium cultivation is often known to occur in areas prone to insurgency and extremism.

( With inputs from ANI )