Two held for cultivating opium poppy

Two persons were arrested late Wednesday evening for their alleged involvement in cultivating opium poppy and cannabis in four villages in West Bengal's Coochbehar district, a senior officer of the city zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said.

The two were arrested during the NCB's destruction drive of illegal cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis in the villages of Doibhangi, Uttar Doibhangi, Balashi and Kurapata, a senior officer said.

Acting on a tip-off, NCB's Kolkata unit sleuths carried out a destruction drive of illicit opium poppy and cannabis cultivation jointly with the SSB, the West Bengal Excise department and the state police, he said.

"Opium poppy on 100 acre of land and cannabis on 25 acres in the four villages were destroyed and the two persons, mainly responsible for the cultivation, were arrested. We are probing into the matter and trying to find out who else are involved in it," the NCB officer said.