Illegal med manufacturing factory unearthed in Hooghly

The Special Task Force (STF) of the state police has unearthed an illegal medicine manufacturing factory while probing a drug smuggling racket.

According to STF officials, acting on a tip off, early on Wednesday morning, a team of STF personnel intercepted a car on Kanchrapara-Gaighata road in Gaighata. During the search of the car, 22 sacks containing cartons of phensedyl bottles were recovered.

The sacks containing phensedyl were hidden under several gunny bags filled with cattle food. The market value of the seized contraband is around Rs 40 lakh. After registering a case, the driver identified as Upendra Kumar Mahato, who is originally from Mujaffarpur in Bihar but stays at Mangoe Lane in Kolkata, was arrested.

After he was produced at the concerned court, Mahato was sent to police custody. While interrogating him in the police remand, STF personnel came up with shocking information about the drug smuggling racket. It was learnt that the racket was also involved in fake medicine manufacturing and their workshop was running out of a house at Mogra in Hooghly district.

On Thursday afternoon, STF personnel conducted a raid at the said house in Natunpara of Mogra. From inside the house, a huge quantity of phensedyl and different types of medical drugs were found in various stages of manufacturing. During further probe, cops came to know that the house is owned by a man identified as Pradip Sarkar who left it on rent for more than a year.

During a search of the house, cops seized several medicine components, along with label, equipment for bottling and sealing besides several mechanised objects for the illegal manufacturing. A probe has been initiated to find out the people running the illegal medicine manufacturing factory. The Directorate of Drugs Control Authority in Hooghly has also been informed about the matter.