Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): Ratlam police have arrested two persons who were found to be smuggling opium poppy straw, also known as ‘dodachura’, in a vehicle in Jaora after procuring it.

Police have seized around 10 quintals of poppy straw worth around Rs 20 lakh. A team of industrial police acted promptly upon receiving a tip-off about a vehicle (without a number plate) suspected to be carrying narcotics on Tuesday evening.

Police intercepted a suspected vehicle along Bhimakhedi-Mamatkheda road and nabbed the driver and his associate. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the police found 10 quintals of poppy husk concealed in 57 plastic bags, as the probe revealed, were being illegally transported without adequate permit.

The accused have been identified as Raju Yadava and Divyansh Rajput from Rajasthan. Police said the total value of the seized poppy straw is around Rs 20 lakh in the market.

The accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for possession and transportation of the illegal substance and investigation into the matter is on.

Notably, Poppy straw, also known as ‘poppy husk’ or ‘dodachura’, is left of the poppy capsule after opium is extracted.

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