Tripura Police Crime Branch arrests two more key drug traffickers from Delhi and Kolkata linked to the Rs 5.4 crore Eskuf cough syrup seizure. Major breakthrough in Tripura’s fight against narcotics smuggling through goods trains to Bangladesh.
The Tripura Police Crime Branch has arrested two more key figures involved in the state’s biggest recent drug haul — the seizure of banned Eskuf cough syrup worth ₹5.4 crore from a goods train at Jirania railway station.
According to officials, the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Tripura Police Crime Branch (TPCB) arrested Arun Kumar Ghosh (58) from Kolkata and Himanshu Jha alias Sonu (32) from Delhi in connection with the October 17 recovery of 1,07,800 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup. The duo, described as the main kingpins of the illegal drug racket, were apprehended following days of coordinated raids and intelligence-based tracking across multiple states.
The accused are being brought to Agartala for further interrogation and will be produced before a local court, police sources confirmed. Legal transit procedures are underway. With these two arrests, all three major drug traders connected to the Jirania seizure have now been apprehended.
Earlier, on October 30, the TPCB arrested Rajib Dasgupta (42), another key operator in the same case.
Massive Seizure from Goods Train
The case dates back to October 16, when a goods train carrying chicken feed, rice, and other cargo arrived from Delhi at Jirania railway station. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint operation involving Tripura Police, Assam Rifles, Government Railway Police (GRP), Special Task Force (STF), and Customs Department was launched.
During the overnight search that stretched into October 17, the security forces discovered several boxes of banned Eskuf cough syrup — a substance that contains Codeine Phosphate and Triprolidine Hydrochloride, both often misused as narcotics in India and neighbouring countries.
The illegal consignment, concealed inside two wagons among other legitimate goods, was seized and handed over to Customs for further investigation and legal proceedings. The total estimated value of the recovered narcotics stands at ₹5.4 crore, making it one of the biggest hauls in Tripura’s recent history.
Officials suspect that the Eskuf cough syrup was destined to be smuggled into Bangladesh through the porous Indo-Bangla border using clandestine routes.
Political Outcry and Public Reaction
The drug bust has triggered political ripples across Tripura, with the Opposition CPI(M) and the Congress stepping up their agitation against the rising drug menace and alleged lapses in monitoring railway consignments.
The Tripura Youth Congress has launched a mass letter campaign addressed to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, protesting the transportation of narcotics via goods trains from Delhi to Tripura. The campaign began on Sunday from Agartala and is expected to spread to all districts in the coming days.
Tripura Youth Congress President Neel Kamal Saha told reporters that more than 10,000 letters will be sent to the minister demanding accountability and stricter railway checks.
“We have started sending mass letters to the Railway Minister from Agartala. Similar letters will be dispatched from every block and locality across the state within the next few days,” Saha said.
In the letter, the Youth Congress alleged that some ruling BJP leaders, in collaboration with dishonest traders and drug peddlers, are attempting to turn Tripura into a drug-smuggling corridor, exploiting railway logistics for illegal operations.
A Growing Concern
Tripura, strategically located near the Bangladesh border, has increasingly become a transit point for narcotics. The recent seizures of psychotropic substances and cough syrups have underscored the need for stronger interstate and cross-border coordination among law enforcement agencies.
A senior police official emphasized that the Tripura Police Crime Branch’s coordinated operations are now focusing on dismantling entire supply networks instead of just arresting couriers. “This seizure and the subsequent arrests are part of a broader crackdown on organized drug trafficking groups operating between North India and the Northeast,” he said.
With the arrests of Ghosh, Jha, and Dasgupta, the state police believe they have disrupted a major smuggling syndicate that had been operating under the guise of legitimate goods transportation.
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The operation is being hailed as one of the most successful anti-narcotics missions in Tripura in recent years, marking another step in the government’s ongoing effort to curb drug trafficking and cross-border smuggling.
