NCB to kick off awareness campaigns in 5 institutes

Kolkata: In the wake of the involvement of students in the drug racket that was unearthed by the Kolkata Zonal Unit team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday night, the NCB is taking up awareness drives at five management and technology institutes in Salt Lake and its adjacent areas.

The authorities of these institutes will start the awareness campaign from Thursday and sleuths of NCB will be extending all possible help in this regard.

It has been learnt that a number of students in these institutes procured consignments of Malana Hashish and drugs such as LSD and Ecstasy from the racket.

The NCB had on Sunday night arrested three persons including the DJ of a popular night club in Park Street and followed it up by apprehending two students Niloy Ghosh and Jerom Watson on Tuesday.

Niloy has obtained a management degree from a private management college in Salt Lake while Watson is a student of event management. The duo were produced at Barasat Court on Wednesday and were sent to 14 days judicial custody.

NCB had seized 148 LSD blots and Ecstasy tablets from the possession of the duo.

In the course of investigation, NCB sleuths have found that Niloy had supplied drugs to students under the garb of making preparations for organising group study or event management programmes at his residence in CJ Block. Many students would frequent his house in the evening.

The NCB on Monday night had conducted a raid at a medicine shop run by Niloy. They seized his bank passbook and laptop.

The accused used to fetch these drugs through courier service, the investigation has revealed.

"Some prominent people from the glamour world were also recipients of drugs from this racket and are a part of the supply module. Raids will continue at different nightclubs during the coming party season," said an NCB source, adding that some soundmen working at parties and nightclubs are involved in the racket as well.

With rave parties becoming popular in Kolkata, demand for narcotics and banned party drugs has gone up. "Since most of these parties are held in houses of high-profile people, it often becomes difficult to conduct raids," the officer added.

According to an NCB official, the seized drugs would have been supplied to various rave parties which will be organised during the Christmas and New Year.

Malana Hashish is popular around the world as 'Malana Cream' and considered the purest of all forms Hashish comes in.