Raipur
Following similar discoveries in Durg and Balrampur, the Raigarh district police have uncovered illegal opium cultivation spread across one acre in Amaghat village. The illicit crop was being grown surreptitiously amidst watermelon and cucumber plantations.
A joint team of police and district administration officials reached the spot in the Tamnar police station area following a tip-off. Senior officials, including the Superintendent of Police (SP) and Additional SP, are currently supervising the investigation at the site near the riverbank.
Accused from Jharkhand Detained
The police have detained two individuals, including Marshal Sanga, a resident of Jharkhand, for questioning. Raigarh Collector Mayank Chaturvedi stated that the cultivation was being carried out by the husband of a local resident, Sushma Khalkho, who is married into a family in Jharkhand.
“The husband of Sushma Khalkho, who moved here from Jharkhand, was cultivating opium on the land. Two persons have been detained and are being interrogated. Formal arrests will follow the completion of the questioning,” the Collector said.
He added that the action was part of a wider intensified probe initiated on the instructions of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
Pattern of Illegal Farming in Chhattisgarh
This incident follows a major crackdown in Durg district, where illegal opium was found on five acres in Samoda village. The land reportedly belonged to a local political worker, Vinayak Tamrakar. In that case, Rural Agricultural Extension Officer Ekta Sahu was suspended for negligence, and four persons—including individuals from Jodhpur, Rajasthan—have been arrested.
Similarly, police recently destroyed opium crops in two locations in Balrampur district. In Chandadandi and Tripuri villages, farmers Sahadur Nageshia and Tuila Ram were arrested for cultivating opium on three acres of leased land.
Investigations in Balrampur revealed a trans-state link, where a Jharkhand-based middleman, Bhupendra Oraon, allegedly convinced local farmers to grow the crop under the guise of “spices.” Reports indicate that several residents of Jharkhand were involved in guarding the fields before fleeing the spot prior to the police raids.
