Kolkata: Around Rs 2.5 crore in cash, thousands of bottles of banned cough syrup and a small quantity of gold have been seized in West Bengal’s Malda district during an overnight raid linked to a probe into an anti-cold drug smuggling racket, police said on Monday.
Three people have been arrested following the raid at a flat in Malda district’s Mangalbari, they said.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the operation dealt “a massive blow to an interstate and cross-border drug network” while maintaining that his government was steadfast in its zero-tolerance approach against criminal activities.
The joint operation by the police of Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda districts with assistance from the state police’s Special Operations Team followed the arrest of alleged smuggler Mridul Ghosh last month.
Acting on leads gathered during the investigation, police arrested Ghosh’s alleged associate Pintu Sarkar and two other accused, an official said.
Commenting on the development, the chief minister said, “Our government maintains an absolute ‘zero tolerance policy’ against drugs, crime and illegal syndicates. West Bengal will remain steadfast in protecting its youth and ensuring that our soil is never used by criminal networks.” In a post on X, he said the joint operation dealt “a massive blow to an interstate and cross-border drug network” and commended the Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda district police for the raid.
According to Adhikari, police recovered Rs 2.4 crore cash, thousands of bottles of banned cough syrup valued at around Rs 90 lakh in the black market and approximately 20 grams of gold.
“Interrogations (of the arrested accused) are underway to unearth the entire nexus and root out every single individual connected to this racket,” Adhikari said.
Raids were continuing in the border areas, he said, adding that there would be no mercy for those involved in drug trafficking.
Police officers said an investigation into the case was underway to trace the source of the seized cash, establish ownership of the premises and identify others linked to the alleged smuggling network.
