Hetauda, Jan. 9 -- The remote areas of Raksirang and Kailash Rural Municipalities in the western part of Makwanpur district is a breeding ground for opium farming, say police.

The District Police Office in Makwanpur has started keeping a close watch on poppy farming after many people were found to be involved in the commercial production of opium, which is processed chemically to produce heroin and other opioids.

Police believe that drug smugglers are active in these areas, luring locals into cultivating opium. From January 1 to 5, a team of police personnel destroyed poppy plants cultivated in around 70 bighas of land in the two municipalities, said Sushil Singh Rathour, superintendent of police at the District Police Office in Makwanp...