Opium worth over ₹9 crore found cultivated on govt land in Kutch, three arrested

Illegal cultivation of opium poppy worth more than ₹9 crore has been unearthed on government land near Bhimasar village in Rapar taluka of Kutch district.

The operation was carried out by the Cyber Cell team of the Kutch Range under the supervision of the Border Range Inspector General of Police after a four-day investigation. The crop was found spread over two acres of hilly government land.

Police said a total of 1,05,200 opium poppy plants weighing 6,172 kg were seized during the raid. The contraband, packed in 513 bags, is estimated to be worth over ₹9.25 crore in the illegal market.

Three persons, including the alleged mastermind Prabhubhai Bhanabhai Sodha, a resident of Bhimasar, have been arrested. The other accused have been identified as Ishwar Diabhai Goyal and Mansukh Vajabhai Goyal. They were produced before a court with a request for 14 days’ remand, of which six days were granted.

According to police sources, the accused were caught red-handed extracting opium latex from the poppy pods when the raid was conducted. Investigators said Sodha had allegedly cultivated the crop on government waste or grazing land.

During preliminary questioning, Sodha reportedly claimed he had started farming activities on the hilly land two years ago and began cultivating opium around three months ago after watching online videos, citing rising prices of opium and poppy husk (posh-doda).

Police said they are examining call detail records to ascertain to whom the narcotics were intended to be sold and whether a larger network was involved. Details of previous petrol and diesel theft cases allegedly linked to the accused are also being sought as part of the probe.

Officials have approached the local administration to verify the status of the land and determine whether it falls under government grazing land or village land records.