Keonjhar district police on Thursday uprooted and destroyed around 2 acres of illegal opium poppy cultivation in a remote, inaccessible forest area along the Sunanadi river basin.
The plants, which were nearing maturity, were estimated to be worth several crores of rupees in the illicit market.
Acting on specific intelligence received by Keonjhar SP Nitin Kushalkar, a special team led by Barbil SDPO Debendranath Pingua, along with personnel from Joda and Barbil police stations, conducted the raid early Thursday morning. The operation also included Barbil Additional Tehsildar Santosh Kumar Kar and executive magistrate Johnson Kindu Majhi.
The cultivation was discovered in an abandoned jungle patch in Mankad Hating under Roida Gram Panchayat of Joda block — a rugged, hard-to-reach location that drug traffickers allegedly exploited to evade detection. Local sources, speaking anonymously, claimed Hindi-speaking youths from outside the region were regularly visiting the site to tend and guard the crop.
While illegal cannabis cultivation has been reported in Odisha before, this is the first reported case of opium poppy cultivation in Keonjhar district. Authorities suspect inter-state drug syndicates encouraged and financed the operation, taking advantage of the area’s favourable riverine climate for rapid growth. Villagers noted that the ongoing cold season accelerated plant development, with harvesting potentially scheduled for March.
Police destroyed the entire crop — including flowering plants and mature pods — before any opium latex could be extracted, preventing a massive haul from reaching the black market.
The successful raid has raised questions about oversight in the mineral-rich region, where forest department patrols and other agencies regularly operate. Residents expressed concern over how such extensive cultivation went unnoticed for months.
An investigation is underway to identify and apprehend those involved. Barbil SDPO Pingua declined further comment, citing the ongoing probe.
