Cops expose group farming of opium in Dharashiv, 3 held

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: An opium farming racket — being carried out by three farmers in Washi taluka — was busted by the Dharashiv police on Friday. The police have arrested the three farmers and seized 58kg of opium valued at Rs8.8 lakh. "We got information that a few farmers have been illegally cultivating opium in their farms in Eit village at Washi taluka. A raid was carried out and three farmers have been arrested," sub-inspector Shriniwas Sawant said on Sunday. Washi police have registered an offence against the three under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act). Opium cultivation is banned in India, except under a license issued by the govt for medical and scientific causes. The three accused were produced before the local court that extended their two-day police custody by one day till Monday. It is the second such case of opium farming in Washi taluka in less than a month. Earlier on Feb 12, opium plantation worth Rs 72 lakh was seized in Washi taluka."The latest case of opium cultivation can be termed as group farming as fields of all three farmers are adjacent. They decided to cultivate the banned crop with consensus," Sawant said.