Retail ready: Poppy husk being sold in small packs in Punjab - Hindustan Times
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Retail ready: Poppy husk being sold in small packs in Punjab

Mustafa Husain and Punya Priya Mitra, Hindustan Times, Bhopal\Neemuch | By
Aug 20, 2017 02:56 PM IST

Like chips, biscuits or any other grocery product, Doda Chura or poppy husk, which is a banned substance is being smuggled from Madhya Pradesh and being sold in one and two kg packets in Punjab, according to two poppy husk smugglers who were caught by Neemuch police.

Like chips, biscuits or any other grocery product, Doda Chura or poppy husk, which is a banned substance is being smuggled from Madhya Pradesh and being sold in one and two kg packets in Punjab, according to two poppy husk smugglers who were caught by Neemuch police.

The sacks of onion in which poppy husk was being smuggled(HT Photo)
The sacks of onion in which poppy husk was being smuggled(HT Photo)

Earlier there were licensed shops in Punjab, where poppy husk which is in great demand, and it was sold openly. But after the centre banned the sale of poppy husk from April 2016, the entire licensing process was scrapped.

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“But since the demand for poppy husk is still there the smugglers make small packets, which is easier to conceal and are transporting it and selling it all over the state,” said Neemuch SP Tusharkant Vidyarthi.

This trend came to light when Neemuch police caught two persons from Punjab who were carrying 3.15 quintal of poppy husk in a truck, packed in sacks containing onions. “We have arrested Baldev Singh (43) resident of Bandiya Banur, district Banur and Ved Prakash (35) resident of Surajgarh, Patiala, Punjab, and seized the truck (PB11-BU-8315) in which they were carrying the product,” the SP said, adding that the poppy husk would be worth around Rs 10 lakh in the open market.

The poppy husk was concealed in onion sacks to camouflage its smell. Also since Madhya Pradesh is a major onion producer and exporter, it is quite normal for trucks carrying onion going to Punjab.

Police sources said that they had received information that a consignment of poppy husk was being smuggled from Madhya Pradesh via Rajasthan to Punjab and so they kept tabs on the vehicular movement and started checking vehicles at the Nayagaon border checkpost and found the truck filled with doda chura.

During questioning the two accused told police that Amzad (29) son of Noor Mohammad Mev resident of Fathegarh police station had supplied the poppy husk to them, which he had brought in his car. Amzad has also been made an accused in the case, police said.

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