Cops recover Rs 2.4cr in cash, banned cough syrup worth Rs 90L in Malda
Times of India | 4 August 2026
Malda: In an ongoing probe into cough syrup smuggling, police recovered Rs 2.4 crore in cash, 20 gms of gold and 9,000 bottles of a banned drug worth nearly Rs 90 lakh from a trader’s rented room in Malda late on Sunday.
While three accused arrested a month ago were present during the operation, carried out jointly by South Dinajpur and Malda police, allegations of a Trinamool connection emerged over the money trail.
Hailing the crackdown, CM Suvendu Adhikari posted on X: “Our govt 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.”
“Following the arrest of notorious smuggler Mridul Ghosh last month, swift follow-up investigations had led to the capture of his key associate, Pintu Sarkar, along with two other co-accused,” the CM added.
On July 5, nearly 1,500 bottles of Phensedyl, a banned cough syrup, were seized at Mehendipara in South Dinajpur before they could be smuggled into Bangladesh, where it is in high demand as a recreational drug.
Police arrested three persons in connection with that seizure: Pintu Sarkar, Gopal Chaki and Susanta Halder, all residents of Malda. During custodial interrogation, police learned about Sarkar’s rented room at Mangalbari under Malda PS, which belongs to Dilip Saha, a local TMC neta.
Around 9 pm on Sunday, cops brought the three suspects to raid Sarkar’s room, where they discovered a massive pile of cash and the gold inside an almirah. Currency counting machines were brought in, and the process continued till midnight. A laptop was also seized. Shortly after, police raided a godown in nearby Khaihatta, from where 9,000 bottles of Phensedyl were recovered.
Adhikari added that interrogations were underway to “unearth the entire nexus and root out every single individual connected to this racket”. “Let this be a clear message to all criminal elements: illegal drug operations will be met with the full force of the law,” he said.
Dilip refuted all allegations. “Pintu claimed he was a medicine trader. I had no idea about his illegal activities.”
However, local BJP MLA Gopal Saha alleged that the accused had TMC ties, saying, “Dilip is a known Trinamool activist. We are sure of TMC’s involvement in this racket. Let police uncover the truth.”