Vadodara: While most need a caterer or a cook for large social gatherings, a man arrested by Dahod police was found to be in the business of serving ‘kasumbo', an infusion of opium in water, at large social gatherings. The man's name had cropped up during investigations into a seizure of poppy pods on the Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh (MP) border in Dahod.
Last month, officials of Zalod police station in Dahod district stopped a pickup truck that was found to be carrying poppy pods hidden under sacks filled with onions. The cops grew suspicious when they were told that onions were being taken to Bhavnagar, where onions are grown in large quantities and from where they are supplied across the country.
When the vehicle was checked, police found dried opium pods hidden behind the onion stock. The driver, Mangilal Galaliya, told police that Dilip Malaviya from Mandsaur in MP was the source of the opium.
A car that had been leading the truck had sped away, but was later intercepted. Ashok Kher and Indrajitsinh Sarvaiya, residents of Bhavnagar, were caught in the car. It came to light that a woman called Sheetal Patel, had been accompanying them. She was also apprehended later.
The interrogation of the accused revealed that Limba Vanzara used to buy the stock from them. He would serve the opium infusion at the gatherings whenever he was given an order. "He was an expert at preparing the opium infusion after grinding the pods on a stone in a traditional manner," said Dahod superintendent of police Rajdeepsinh Zala. The opium infusion is called ‘kasumbo'. Vanzara was arrested a couple of weeks ago.
Serving kasumbo on certain occasions used to be widely prevalent in certain communities. Over the years its prevalence has fallen significantly. However, even today, there are some events or gatherings where the drink is served.
Sources said the investigation revealed that Malaviya supplied the pods for about four years, delivering the material to Bhavnagar. Sarvaiya and the others later started picking it up themselves. Vanzara used to receive the stock and use it for orders as and when needed or even sell it to others.
The investigation revealed that Patel was roped in by Sarvaiya to ensure that they looked like a family when travelling in a car and did not raise suspicions. Police are also trying to nab Malaviya, who grew, stored, and supplied the opium.