In a major breakthrough, Malda district police have arrested one of the masterminds behind a large-scale brown sugar manufacturing and distribution network operating across eastern India.
The accused, Hasmat Sheikh, a resident of Bamuntola panchayat, Shahabazpur under Kaliachak-I block, was arrested from Calcutta on Monday night.
According to investigators, Sheikh played a crucial role as both a producer and supplier of crude materials used to manufacture brown sugar — a derivative of heroin. Over time, he became a principal distributor of the drug in eastern India.
“He had built an extensive network stretching across neighbouring states — including Manipur, Jharkhand, and Bihar — where the contraband was circulated through local agents and carriers,” said Pradeep Kumar Yadav, SP, Malda.
Yadav added that Sheikh had recently shifted his base from Malda’s Kaliachak area to Sahebganj in Jharkhand, using it as a transit route for raw materials sourced from Manipur.
Police said that the arrests of more than 100 people in recent months from Kaliachak and Baishnabnagar helped them trace Sheikh’s involvement in the cross-state narcotics trade.
Following intelligence inputs, the police raided his hideout in Calcutta, arresting Sheikh along with Sabbir Sheikh of Shahabazpur and Rabiul Sheikh of Rajmahal, Jharkhand. The trio has been brought to Kaliachak Police Station for questioning and further legal proceedings.
“A financial investigation against Hasmat Sheikh is nearing completion,” said Yadav. “The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is also working with Malda Police to freeze his assets,” he added.
