Agartala, July 2: A massive seizure of banned cough syrup at Agartala Railway Station on Thursday has triggered serious concerns among law enforcement agencies, with investigators suspecting the existence of a highly organized interstate drug trafficking network in Tripura.
In a major anti-narcotics operation conducted in two phases during the day, authorities intercepted two separate consignments of Phensedyl that had arrived through parcel vans of trains. Officials said the scale of the seizure is among the biggest recorded in Tripura in recent times and points toward a well-established supply chain operating through railway routes.
The first operation was jointly carried out by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Assam Rifles, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF). Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the agencies intercepted a parcel consignment that had originated from Katihar in Bihar and reached Agartala by train.
During the search, officials recovered 55,626 bottles of banned Eskuf cough syrup packed in 80 drums, each containing 100 ml, with the estimated market value of the seized consignment pegged at more than Rs 6.54 crore.
A 34-year-old man, identified as Subrata Deb of Batakha village under Kalyanpur sub-division, was arrested while allegedly attempting to take delivery of the consignment at the railway station. Preliminary investigation revealed that he was employed as a manager in a private business establishment in Agartala.
Even as the first operation was underway, security agencies launched another search later in the evening and intercepted a second consignment, which officials described as even larger than the earlier seizure. Authorities said the counting process of the bottles recovered from the second consignment was continuing till late evening, and detailed figures would be released after completion of the process.
The twin seizures have once again exposed a disturbing pattern of organized narcotics trafficking through Tripura’s railway network. Investigators believe the operation reflects the presence of a sophisticated syndicate involved in transporting large quantities of contraband substances using parcel services as a cover.
Security agencies noted that the latest seizure has surpassed earlier recoveries made at both Agartala and Jirania railway stations, signaling a sharp increase in the use of railway infrastructure for illegal transportation of narcotic substances.
The latest incident has also revived memories of a similar operation carried out on October 17 last year, when the Tripura Police Crime Branch, along with other security agencies, seized banned Eskuf cough syrup worth nearly Rs 5.4 crore from a goods train stationed at Jirania Railway Station. The train had arrived from Delhi carrying commercial goods, including rice and poultry feed.
During that operation, multiple arrests were made, including Rajib Dasgupta, who investigators identified as one of the key masterminds behind the racket.
Following Thursday’s back-to-back recoveries, investigators are increasingly convinced that such large-scale smuggling operations could not have been executed without the support of an organized network functioning systematically behind the scenes.
The investigators are examining the possible role of individuals associated with railway operations, particularly those connected to parcel handling sections, as repeated recoveries from railway consignments have raised serious suspicions regarding internal facilitation.
Authorities have now expanded the investigation to trace the entire network involved in the operation, including suppliers, transport handlers, local receivers, and possible facilitators. Officials hinted that arrests will be made in the coming days as investigators dig deeper into what could potentially be one of the largest organized drug smuggling networks operating through railway channels in the Northeast.