Six Acres of Illicit Poppy Crops Uprooted in Manipur Hills; One Arrested, PREPAK Cadre Nabbed

Guwahati: In a significant crackdown on narcotics cultivation, Manipur Police on Friday night razed nearly six acres of illegal poppy fields across the Ngatan Hill range under the Senapati Police Station and neighbouring areas of Kangpokpi district.

The joint operation, carried out by security personnel in the presence of an executive magistrate, targeted plantations spread across difficult hill terrain.

According to police, the destruction drive was conducted on 13 February 2026 in the Ngatan Hill range under the Senapati Police Station limits and adjoining parts of Kangpokpi. Officials confirmed that approximately six acres of illicit poppy cultivation were cleared during the action.

Security forces also dismantled the infrastructure set up to support the cultivation. Eight temporary huts located within the plantation sites were set ablaze and demolished. In addition, authorities destroyed three bags of fertiliser, 15 bags of salt, 4 bundles of irrigation pipes, and 4 spray pumps found at the scene.

A 59-year-old man, identified as Gun Bahadur Rai of Thulochour/Tapon village in Irang Part II under T Waichong, was apprehended at the site. Police stated that he was found present in the poppy fields at the time of the operation and has since been taken into custody. Further legal proceedings are underway.

The action forms part of the state government’s ongoing campaign to eliminate illegal poppy cultivation across Manipur’s hill districts, a region long affected by narcotics-linked activities.

In a separate development, security forces on Thursday arrested an active member of the banned outfit PREPAK in Bishnupur district.

The cadre, identified as Khaidem Toni Singh (42), also known as Ibungo, was detained from his residence at Moirang Khunou Makha Leikai under Keibul Lamjao Police Station. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details regarding the charges against him.

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