Srinagar, Jul 21 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has seized poppy straw worth lakhs of rupees, a police spokesman said here on Friday.

He, however, did not reveal the exact quantity of the contraband or its value.

Also Read | Independence Day 2023: Delhi Police Bans Use of Sub-Conventional Aerial Platforms Till August 16 Ahead of I-Day.

The ANTF is a specialised unit formed to check the drug menace rampant in the Union Territory.

According to the spokesman, the ANTF had received a tip-off that a drug peddler named Tariq Ahmed Malla had kept large quantities of poppy straw in his house with the purpose of smuggling.

Also Read | Milk Price Rises in Karnataka: State Government Likely To Hike Retail Milk Price by Rs 3 per Litre, Subject to Cabinet Nod.

Police filed a case in the matter and raided Malla's Mohan Pora Budgam house with an executive magistrate as part of the team.

During the search, the ANTF team found a "huge" quantity of poppy straw kept in polythene bags, the spokesman said.

"The people of the area hailed the efforts of the ANTF Kashmir and showed their willingness to support police to eradicate the menace of drugs from the society which is the real sign of police public relationship," he said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)