Srinagar: In a major breakthrough against narcotics trafficking, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Srinagar Zonal Unit, has arrested the key receiver of a 10.735 kg consignment of charas that was recently seized in South Kashmir.
Officials said that the follow-up operation was launched after the initial arrests of three persons in connection with the case, including the mastermind, the middleman, and the supplier of the contraband. Investigations revealed that the seized charas was meant to be transported to Kolkata for further distribution.
Acting on this lead, NCB Srinagar, in close coordination with its Kolkata unit, conducted a targeted operation in the Bowbazar locality of Kolkata—an area described by officials as highly sensitive and risky due to its criminal underbelly. During the raid, sleuths arrested Khoka Dey alias Khokha Da, a resident of Kolkata, who was identified as the intended recipient of the consignment.
According to investigators, Dey is a habitual offender with a history of drug trafficking. He was found to be actively engaged in facilitating the distribution of narcotics in Kolkata and adjoining areas, making him a critical link in the syndicate’s supply chain. His arrest, officials said, has confirmed the interstate nature of the trafficking racket connecting Jammu and Kashmir with West Bengal.
“This arrest is a significant success in dismantling the syndicate. It highlights the spread of the network and the challenges of narcotics trafficking that exploit our youth for illicit gains,” an NCB officer told KNT. The officer added that the case demonstrates how trafficking routes are no longer localised but span across multiple states, requiring strong coordination between enforcement agencies.
The NCB stressed that enhanced interstate collaboration was crucial in cracking the case. “Our Srinagar and Kolkata teams worked together to ensure the arrest. We are now pursuing backward and forward linkages to identify more associates of the syndicate and to choke the flow of narcotics at every stage,” the official said.
Sources revealed that the charas seized earlier in South Kashmir was part of a larger supply chain with established connections in metropolitan cities, where demand fuels large profits. Investigators believe that the Kolkata module was instrumental in pushing narcotics into wider distribution channels across eastern India.
The arrest of Khoka Dey, who is now in custody, is expected to lead to further revelations about the syndicate’s financiers, transporters, and street-level peddlers. Officials said that more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses. [KNT]
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