Kolkata, 4 July (H.S.) -

In a dramatic operation reminiscent of a crime thriller, detectives from Kolkata Police’s Narcotics Department arrested two individuals masquerading as sadhus near the Shobhabazar ferry ghat on Thursday for allegedly smuggling high-quality charas from Himachal Pradesh.

According to officials, the accused—identified as Shivshankar Ojha, a resident of Bowbazar, and Arpan Mallick, from Burrabazar—had been posing as holy men at various ghats along the Ganga, including Shobhabazar. The duo would sit in apparent meditation, occasionally interacting with devotees. When someone approached and folded hands in reverence, one of them would discreetly hand over a small packet—what appeared to be a blessing, but was actually narcotics.

Acting on a tip-off, undercover officers from Lalbazar laid a trap, approaching the suspects disguised as devotees. The operation led to the recovery of 550 grams of high-grade charas, with an estimated street value of around Rs 10 lakh. The seizure and arrests were confirmed by Kolkata Police officials.

Investigators believe this wasn’t an isolated case. The two men allegedly operated in a similar fashion at several other ghats across the city, exploiting the spiritual atmosphere to avoid suspicion while conducting drug transactions.

Both accused are currently in police custody, and further investigations are underway to determine the extent of their network and whether more individuals are involved in the racket.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh