Police from the Golapganj outpost raided the Pakakot area in Malda’s Kaliachak Block-I in the wee hours of Friday after receiving a tip-off and arrested three persons, who were part of a group of 10–15 youth who were allegedly manufacturing brown sugar. The men in uniform seized the contraband item valued ₹40 crore in international market.
According to police sources, narcotics were being processed in crude methods— brown sugar wrapped in white cloth was being drained against bamboo tied to trees when officers moved in. The suspects attempted to flee but three were caught after a chase.
“The arrested men — Rauf Sheikh (45), Hasibur Sheikh (42) and Barkat Sheikh (45) — are all residents of Narayanpur village. They were produced before the Malda District Court and the judge ordered seven days of police custody,” said a police officer.
The raid led to the seizure of 39 kilograms of brown sugar, the largest single haul in Malda so far, with an estimated market value of ₹40 crore. Superintendent of Police Pradeep Kumar Yadav described it as a significant breakthrough after months of intelligence-gathering and failed raids.
Investigations have revealed that two organised gangs, known as the Mojampur Gang and Narayanpur Gang, are active in the area. Beyond manufacturing brown sugar and heroin, they are reportedly engaged in training local youths in drug production. Experts are at times brought in from Bihar to conduct sessions and testers from the state also assess the quality of the drugs before determining their market value.
Malda once had a reputation for extensive opium cultivation, but strict surveillance has earned it the label of a “zero poppy cultivation” district. To maintain supply, drug producers are now believed to be sourcing raw materials from Jharkhand, Manipur and other northeastern states, effectively making Kaliachak a hub of the illicit trade.
Yadav admitted that volume of seized brown sugar reflects a worrying trend. “We are determined to eradicate the drug trade from this district. All necessary measures are being taken,” said Yadav
According to records available with the police, in 2022, Malda police registered 171 drug-related cases, recovering 27 kilos of narcotics and arresting 218 people. In 2023, there were 104 cases, with 46 kilos seized and 89 arrests. In 2024, seizures rose to 53 kilos across 105 cases, with 143 arrests. This year, seizures have already climbed to 97 kilos across 114 cases, with 241 arrests so far.
The record seizure has put the spotlight firmly on Kaliachak, where the drug problem is no longer confined to production but has now evolved into a system of training and organised distribution— posing a growing challenge for law enforcement.
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