Kolkata, Jan 20 The Eastern Railway (ER) has claimed that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) along with the Government Railway Police (GRP) seized 2.115 kg of narcotics, suspected to be Brown Sugar, from a passenger of the Katihar-Howrah Express train at Malda Town station under "Operation Narcos" on Sunday evening.
If the substance turns out to be Brown Sugar after forensic tests, the seizure will be worth Rs 10 crore, one of the biggest such haul by railway security forces in recent times, it said in a statement on Monday.
"There was a tip-off regarding the transportation of contraband on a train to Howrah. The RPF and GRP made preparations accordingly and carried out a search on the 13034 Katihar-Howrah Express after it stopped at Malda Town station at 6.10 p.m. A man, matching the description in the intelligence tip was spotted in the general compartment at the rear end of the train. A search of his luggage led to the seizure of the material in five packets. The man has been taken into custody," said Kausik Mitra, CPRO, Eastern Railway.
According to an RPF official, the accused attempted to flee but was overpowered by the security personnel present. The GRP took possession of the suspected narcotics on the spot in the presence of M.K. Ray, assistant sub-inspector, RPF Post, Malda.
Subsequently, a case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The accused was produced before a court on Monday and remanded to police custody. The police and officials of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will be questioning him for details about the source of the drugs.
"ER and the RPF units under its jurisdiction are making all efforts to prevent all kinds of crimes, including the transportation of narcotics, human trafficking, thefts and robberies within railway premises, including trains. Our aim is to ensure passenger safety through the dedicated and coordinated efforts of the RPF and GRP," Mitra added.
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