In a significant two-day anti-narcotics operation, police forces in Malda and North Dinajpur districts cracked down hard on drug trafficking in North Bengal, arresting several accused and seizing a large quantity of contraband.
Between September 17 and 18, a series of coordinated raids were conducted. At Kaliachak Chowrangi, 32-year-old Rinku Mondal was arrested in possession of 102 grams of brown sugar. A late-night search at Bajapti led to the arrest of 31-year-old Sarif Sheikh by Baishnabnagar police after they found 500 grams of brown sugar concealed beneath his motorcycle seat, valued at nearly Rs 50 lakh.
Officials at the Golapganj outpost recovered 1.03 kg of brown sugar worth around Rs 1 crore from the residence of Suvajit Mandal in Balufarra. Both Suvajit and his associate Tapan Mandal were taken into custody as investigators probe a larger narcotics racket.
Meanwhile, near Malda Town Station, three Siliguri residents—Goutam Das (29), Rahul Saha (20), and Nupur Mondal (25)—were apprehended carrying 33.56 kg of ganja.
Simultaneously, North Dinajpur police seized nearly 1.8 kg of brown sugar. Acting on a tip-off, the Raiganj crime branch intercepted a bus and arrested 19-year-old Surajit Mandal from Kaliachak with 1.03 kg of brown sugar valued at Rs 12 lakh. In a parallel raid in Dalkhola, Sahab Mahammad, also from Kaliachak, was found in possession of 750 grams.
Authorities estimate the total seized contraband to be worth several crores and are continuing investigations to dismantle the network and identify the kingpin behind these operations.
