Kolkata, 22 July (H.S.): The Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police has arrested two Thai nationals for allegedly possessing a large quantity of narcotic substances during a raid in the city's Bhawanipur area.

Acting on a tip-off, STF personnel conducted a raid at an address in Bhawanipur Tuesday night and initially detained the two women before formally arresting them. A substantial quantity of suspected narcotics was seized from their possession.

Investigators are trying to ascertain when the accused entered India, the source of the seized drugs, and their intended destination. The police are also examining whether the women were merely drug couriers or part of a larger international narcotics trafficking network. Their passports and visas have been seized for verification, and officials are checking whether their travel documents are valid.

In a separate development, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in a joint operation with Ashoknagar Police Station, unearthed an alleged interstate arms smuggling racket in North 24 Parganas and arrested a woman identified as Puja Biswas.

The police said the accused was intercepted near Habra–Naihati Road, and a large cache of ammunition and firearms-related items was recovered from her possession, including magazines, pistols and around 200 rounds of live cartridges.

According to the preliminary investigation, Puja Biswas allegedly procured firearms and ammunition from Bihar at low prices and smuggled them into West Bengal for illegal sale at higher rates. Investigators suspect that the racket deliberately used women as carriers to evade police surveillance and believe a larger network of female couriers may be involved. Further investigation is underway.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey