Bengal: Police bust a major Bangladesh-bound cough syrup racket in Malda; Rs 2.4 crore cash, 9,000 bottles seized
Police recovered Rs 2,40,97,380 in cash, nearly 20 grams of gold (or two gold coins, according to another official account), a laptop and 9,000 bottles of banned cough syrup valued at more than Rs 20 lakh. Three currency-counting machines were used to count the cash seized during the operation.
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West Bengal Police have unearthed a major cross-border cough syrup smuggling network operating out of Malda district, recovering Rs 2.40 crore in cash, around 9,000 bottles of banned cough syrup, gold and a laptop during overnight raids that stretched into the morning of August 3.
The operation, jointly conducted by South Dinajpur and Malda district police, followed leads obtained during the investigation into the seizure of nearly 1,500 bottles of banned cough syrup in Dakshin Dinajpur last month. Based on those inputs, investigators raided a rented flat near National Highway-12 in Mangalbari under Old Malda Municipality and a warehouse in Khaihatta, which they suspect was being used to stock consignments meant for illegal transportation to Bangladesh.
Police recovered Rs 2,40,97,380 in cash, nearly 20 grams of gold (or two gold coins, according to another official account), a laptop and 9,000 bottles of banned cough syrup valued at more than Rs 20 lakh. Three currency-counting machines were used to count the cash seized during the operation.
After Birbhum, huge cash recovered from Malda:
— Facts (@BefittingFacts) August 3, 2026
• WB Police raided the house of a businessman involved in the smuggling of banned cough syrup.
• WB Police recovered ₹2.5 crore in cash and around 7,000 bottles of banned cough syrup.
Mamata Banerjee has turned Bengal into a… pic.twitter.com/0sKQDtYYyg
Three persons,Pintu Sarkar, Gopal Chaki and Sushanta (Sushant) Haldar, all residents of Old Malda,were arrested.
Investigators suspect Pintu Sarkar, a medicine trader who had rented the flat owned by Dilip Saha, to be the key operator of the alleged trafficking network.
Malda under renewed scrutiny after arrest of former TMC leader
Investigators suspect Pintu Sarkar, a medicine trader who had rented the flat owned by Dilip Saha, to be the key operator of the alleged trafficking network.
Malda under renewed scrutiny after arrest of former TMC leader
The latest crackdown comes barely weeks after the arrest of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Anchal President Bokul (Bakul) Sheikh, a figure long associated with Kaliachak's criminal underworld.
On June 22, Malda Police arrested Sheikh from Jadupur in Kaliachak-I block of Malda district in connection with multiple pending criminal cases. Three days later, on June 25, he was paraded through the streets of Kaliachak under heavy police security as authorities intensified their campaign against alleged criminal networks in the district.
Police said Sheikh was wanted in several cases, including allegations of murder, extortion, kidnapping and loot, while residents claimed his influence had created an atmosphere of fear in the area for years.
Although investigators have not officially linked Sheikh's arrest to the cough syrup smuggling case, the two developments have once again turned the spotlight on Malda's Kaliachak belt, a region that has repeatedly figured in investigations into organised crime and cross-border smuggling.
Phensedyl trafficking remains a persistent border challenge
Although investigators have not officially linked Sheikh's arrest to the cough syrup smuggling case, the two developments have once again turned the spotlight on Malda's Kaliachak belt, a region that has repeatedly figured in investigations into organised crime and cross-border smuggling.
Phensedyl trafficking remains a persistent border challenge
The cough syrup seized is believed to have been intended for illegal transportation into Bangladesh, where codeine-based syrups such as Phensedyl are banned and are frequently abused as intoxicants. Because of its proximity to the international border, Malda has remained one of the key transit districts for Phensedyl smuggling, with the Border Security Force (BSF) and state police regularly intercepting consignments destined for Bangladesh.
Police believe the latest seizure indicates the existence of a larger trafficking network with financial and logistical support extending beyond the three arrested accused, and further arrests are expected as the investigation progresses.