Illegal opium cultivation busted in Hooghly; 4,000 plants destroyed

A large-scale illegal opium cultivation was uncovered in Hooghly’s Polba as police raided Dubir Bheri, Maheshwarbati, and Birendranagar villages under the Amanan Gram Panchayat. Acting on a tip-off, a team from Polba police station reached the locations and destroyed around 4,000 fully grown opium plants this afternoon. Officials confirmed that opium cultivation is illegal and said further investigations are underway to identify those responsible.

Police sources stated that the cultivation was carried out secretly on agricultural land, with plants nearing full harvest. Law enforcement officials are now trying to determine whether similar illegal farming operations exist in other nearby areas. No arrests have been reported yet, and authorities are tracking possible networks involved in opium production and distribution.

Amanan Gram Panchayat deputy head Sudip Malik stated that local authorities had no prior knowledge of the opium farms. “I had no idea this was happening. Today, I heard that some villagers had cultivated opium in small amounts. The police took swift action and eradicated the crops,” he said. Officials confirmed that the operation was led by Polba police in coordination with local law enforcement.

This raid follows a similar crackdown in the Balagarh police station area, where Hooghly Rural Police recently destroyed cannabis plantations worth several lakh rupees. In that case, cannabis plants were found growing in the backyard of a house and were immediately uprooted. Police have intensified monitoring across multiple villages to prevent further illegal cultivation and have urged locals to report such activities.