Police in Chatra district of Jharkhand arrested five men on Tuesday for allegedly trying to smuggle six kilograms of opium.
Superintendent of Police, Chatra, Surendera Kumar Jha, said the police nabbed the smugglers following a tip-off.
"We received information that some people were going to smuggle opium and based on that information, a team was formed and an operation was launched. The team has successfully arrested five people with six kilograms of opium," said Jha.
He said that opium smuggling in the district was on the rise after poppy cultivation was almost destroyed, adding that farmers have turned to growing vegetables now.
The efforts of the state government and the agriculture department to encourage locals to take up vegetable farming have worked wonders for the farmers.
Besides meeting the domestic demand, the farmers have started exporting vegetables to neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh.
