West Bengal: Woman Among Five Held For Drug Trafficking

(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, Jan 29 (IANS) Following searches in several areas surrounding Kolkata, the Special Task Force (STF) of West Bengal Police has arrested a total of five drug traffickers, including a woman and seized illicit drugs with a market value of over Rs 1 crore.

The Bengal STF is conducting further investigation into the matter.

According to police sources, a team of STF on Wednesday conducted a raid at Canal West Road under Ultadanga Police Station area in north Kolkata and arrested one woman named Asma Khatun Peyada (42), a resident in that area and recovered 1.325 kilogram of heroin from there. The arrested woman will be produced in a court where the police will seek her custody.

The police informed that in the same case, four persons were arrested on January 25, and a vehicle was also seized from the Daktar Bagan area under Nimta Police Station on the Belgharia Expressway, in the North 24 Parganas district. During the search, a total of 3 kilograms of 'power' (used to enhance the addiction of heroin) and 410 grams of heroin were seized.

The arrested persons were identified as Md Rafique (55), a resident of Narkeldanga in north Kolkata; Abhishek Karmakar (30), a resident of Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas district; Hasem Ali (30), a resident of Barasat in the same district and Brindaban Das Bairagya (34), a resident of Kaliganj in Nadia district.

A senior officer of West Bengal STF said, "With yesterday's arrest, the total figure of arrests in this case reached five. The approximate value of the seized contraband in the grey market is more than Rs 1 crore. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing. The arrested will be questioned to find more about the network of drug traffickers and who else is involved in the case."

According to police sources, the previous four arrests made in this case were not disclosed in a bid to catch the other members of the gang. Based on information obtained by the officers after interrogating the four, they came to know about the woman drug trafficker. Subsequently, the woman was arrested.

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