Police from Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda districts teamed up with the state Special Operations Team to storm the Mangalbari flat before dawn, breaching doors after receiving intelligence on a cross‑border smuggling ring.
The operation followed last month’s capture of alleged kingpin Mridul Ghosh, whose arrest set off a chain of leads that pointed to the Malda location as a hub for illicit cough‑syrup distribution across state lines.
"Our government maintains an absolute zero‑tolerance policy against drugs, crime and illegal syndicates," Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari wrote on X, praising the police for delivering "a massive blow to an interstate and cross‑border drug network." He vowed that West Bengal will protect its youth and ensure its soil never hosts criminal enterprises again.
Officials reported that the seized cough‑syrup inventory—valued at roughly Rs 90 lakh on the black market—could have funded dozens of clandestine operations if left unchecked. The haul also included roughly Rs 2.4 crore in unaccounted cash and about 20 grams of gold, prompting investigators to trace ownership of both the money and the premises itself.
Ongoing raids continue along border corridors as authorities promise no mercy for anyone linked to drug trafficking; further arrests are expected while interrogation of the three detainees seeks to map out the full network.