The arrests were made as the first-ever recovery of opium cultivation in Chandigarh.
The arrest is a major development in the illegal cultivation of opium in Chandigarh. Police arrested two people which is a major breakthrough for the Chandigarh police regarding this sensitive issue. The two culprits, including one nursery owner, were arrested on March 19 under the supervision of SSP UT Chandigarh Kanwardeep Kaur. The arrest took place at the Blooming Dale Nursery.
Around 725 opium plants, weighing 20.570 kg were confiscated by the police, which is quite a commendable recovery. The incident that led to the arrest of the two occurred on March 18 in PS-IT Park in Chandigarh.
ASI Rahul Bhardwaj along with other police officials from the District Crime Cell from sector 24 were patrolling the UT Area on March 18. While they were patrolling near Shastri Nagar Light Point, their secret informer gave them information regarding the illegal cultivation of opium by the two culprits.
The two were identified as Sameer Kalia, owner of Blooming Dale Nursery, and his gardener Siya Ram. They were cultivating these opium plants in disguise of the nursery in its backyard. After receiving the secret information, around 07:40 PM, ASI Rahul and the others raided the nursery.
They arrested Sameer Kalia, aged 50, who was the owner of the nursery, and Siya Ram, aged 39, the gardener of the nursery. The informant was absolutely right, they discovered two kiyaris of white and red coloured flowers along with opium dode growing underneath a green net.
According to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a farmer has to obtain a license to cultivate opium legally. However, when the two were asked about the legal permit, they could not produce any proof on the site. This indicated that the opium was being cultivated illegally.
ASI Rahul informed DSP DCC, Mr. Dilsher Singh Chandel about the illegal cultivation of opium and requested for his presence on the spot. Mr. Chandel reached the spot and confirmed as well as verified the facts and information.
On plucking, around 725 plants were recovered. The two culprits were arrested on the spot and were taken into police custody. The spot was photographed and videographed and an FIR under the NDPS Act which stands for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, was registered against the two. The further investigation on the matter is under process.
According to the NDPS Act, a person is prohibited from doing anything illegal regarding narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances. This includes actions like producing, manufacturing or cultivating, possessing, purchasing, storing, transporting, and consuming. Anyone found committing to any of the crimes without an official license from the government is punished under the act.
