Indore, Jan 23 (PTI) Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials arrested three people, including a dhaba owner, and seized opium and poppy husks worth Rs 55 lakh from them in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh, an official said on Monday.

Also Read | Layoffs 2023: First COVID-19, Now Job Uncertainty, Indian Professionals Undergo Tremendous Stress, Anxiety.

He said NCB raided a dhaba (roadside eatery) on the Neemuch-Mandsaur national highway and seized 10.286 kg of opium and 7.220 kg of poppy husks.

Also Read | Microsoft to Invest $10 Billion in ChatGPT Parent OpenAI.

Indore unit NCB official Brijendra Chaudhary also said the dhaba was prima facie used as a front to carry out illegal activity.

Another official told PTI the seized contraband costs around Rs 55 lakh (in the grey market).

The government gives a license to farmers in Mandsaur, Neemuch and some other districts in the country for opium farming, officials said, adding the stuff was used in preparing medicines.

(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)