KOLKATA: Around Rs 2.5 crore in cash, thousands of bottles of banned cough syrup and a small quantity of gold were seized during an overnight raid in West Bengal’s Malda district as part of a probe into an anti-cold drug smuggling racket, police said on Monday.Three people were arrested following the raid at a flat in Mangalbari area of Malda district, officials said according to news agency PTI.Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said the operation had dealt “a massive blow to an interstate and cross-border drug network”, asserting that his government remained committed to its zero-tolerance approach against criminal activities.The joint operation was carried out by police teams from Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda districts with assistance from the state police’s Special Operations Team. The raid followed the arrest of alleged smuggler Mridul Ghosh last month.Based on leads gathered during the investigation, police arrested Ghosh’s alleged associate Pintu Sarkar and two other accused, an official said.Reacting to 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, Adhikari said the joint operation had dealt “a massive blow to an interstate and cross-border drug network” and praised the Dakshin Dinajpur and Malda district police for carrying out the raid.According to Adhikari, police recovered Rs 2.4 crore in cash, thousands of bottles of banned cough syrup worth 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.He said raids were continuing in border areas and warned that there would be no mercy for those involved in drug trafficking.Police officials said the investigation was underway to trace the source of the seized cash, establish ownership of the premises and identify other people linked to the alleged smuggling network.
