Similipal Tiger Reserve, known for its melanistic tigers and wildlife, has turned into a fertile area for poppy cultivation.

Taking advantage of the dense forest, the narcotics traffickers initiated poppy cultivation in this improbable location. Police and excise officials have destroyed poppy cultivation worth Rs 30 crore in the last two months. Opium is made from poppy.

The excise officials, along with the Mayurbhanj district police, carried out an operation on Friday night at Saruda village and destroyed poppy cultivation spread over at least 15 acres of land. The market value of the destroyed crop is pegged at Rs 10.8 crore.

“This was the third raid that we carried out in the last two months. Getting a specific tip-off, the operation was carried out,” said a senior excise official.

Earlier in a similar raid this month, 6.95 lakh poppy plants were set on fire, whose market value was estimated to be Rs 13 crore. In another raid in February, nearly two lakh poppy plants on five to six acres of land, worth around Rs 7 crore, were burnt.

Official sources said the mafia from Jharkhand used the local villagers residing inside the sanctuary to take up the poppy cultivation.

However, the police have not been able to arrest anyone in this connection, who is behind the cultivation.

Additional superintendent of police, Mayurbhanj, Umma Maharana told The Telegraph: “These cultivations are being taken up in the inaccessible areas of the sanctuary. Getting information from local sources is tough. As local people are getting paid to take up the cultivation, they are not coming out to cooperate. That’s why we have not been able to arrest anyone in this connection.”

Similipal Tiger Reserve, spreading over 2,750 square kilometres, falls within the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district and boasts of some of the best forests and wildlife in the state. It was in the news recently for having the highest number of melanistic tigers. A total of 27 unique adult tigers were camera-trapped during the census conducted by the Odisha government in February.