Kolkata, June 15 (IANS) The cops of West Bengal Police on Monday cracked a major heroin lab-cum-trafficking racket in Farakka in Murshidabad district of West Bengal and arrested seven persons in this connection.

Insiders from the state police said the lab was operating from a rented house in Farakka. Seven people have been arrested in the matter.

However, the main accused in the case, Ismail Sheikh, is absconding. He is alleged to have fled with a huge quantity of heroin in his possession.

According to information available so far, Ismail Sheikh, a resident of Bihar, arrived in Farakka a couple of months ago and rented rooms there. Insiders said he subsequently set up the heroin lab. It is alleged that heroin was being manufactured and packaged in that lab and smuggled to different parts of the country.

Acting on a tip-off, a team from the local Farakka Police Station raided Sheikh’s rented premises at Lohapatti close to National Highway-12 in Farakka.

Seven dealers were arrested from there, including four women. Police seized 300 grams of heroin, a few lakhs of rupees in cash, and equipment used for heroin manufacturing during the raid.

However, Sheikh, the main mastermind, managed to flee with a large quantity of heroin before the police arrived. A manhunt has been launched to track him, and all nearby police stations have been alerted.

The seven arrested persons have been identified as Rohit Singh from Samastipur in Bihar, Isha Haque and Mohammad Aslam from Mozampur in West Bengal’s Malda district, with the last two being cousins.

The four women handlers arrested in this connection have been identified as Razia Khatun, Zehina Khatun, Sakina Khatun and Madina Khatun, all residents of Yogbani in Bihar.

“These handlers led by Ismail Sheikh had been using Farakka as a route for narcotics trafficking, taking advantage of its proximity to the state borders with both Bihar and Jharkhand. Investigation is underway to arrest the rest of the gang members after questioning those arrested,” said an investigating officer.

The seven arrested persons will be produced before the Jangipur District Court on Tuesday, where the public prosecutor will seek their police custody.

–IANS

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