Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Teacher Held in Jalpaiguri Over Alleged Drug, Fake Note Racket
Police in Jalpaiguri arrested a schoolteacher and another man.
They allege the two were involved in making and distributing brown sugar.
The teacher was arrested at a rented home in Nagrakata.
Police say they found about 68 grams of brown sugar there.
They also found cash, fake Indian notes, and equipment for processing drugs.
Investigators believe raw materials came from Malda.
They allege the drugs were sent through carriers to parts of the Dooars and north Bengal.
The two men face cases under drug and counterfeit-currency laws.
Geography teacher Ranjit Sikdar and alleged aide Dhiraj Mahato were arrested in Nagrakata, Jalpaiguri.
Police recovered about 68 grams of brown sugar, ₹8.49 lakh, and fake notes worth around ₹1 lakh.
Officers also seized narcotics-processing equipment, packaging materials, and chemically treated brown polyester cloth.
Police allege Sikdar processed raw narcotics sourced from Malda and distributed them through carriers across the Dooars and north Bengal.
Cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and counterfeit-currency laws.
- Who
- Schoolteacher Ranjit Sikdar and alleged aide Dhiraj Mahato were arrested.
- What
- Police allege they operated a brown sugar processing and narcotics distribution unit, with links to fake-currency circulation.
- When
- The arrests and raid took place on Wednesday night.
- Where
- At Sikdar’s rented accommodation near Chaucharia More in Nagrakata, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal.
- Why
- Police acted on a tip-off about alleged narcotics processing, smuggling, and counterfeit-currency activity.
Police Allegations
Accused Position
Drug-processing operation
Police Allegations
Police allege Sikdar ran a brown sugar processing unit and distributed narcotics through carriers, with Mahato acting as a drug mule.
Accused Position
The article does not report a response or defense from Sikdar or Mahato.
Counterfeit-currency links
Police Allegations
Police say the evidence suggests Sikdar was associated with a network involved in smuggling and circulating fake currency.
Accused Position
No statement from the accused disputing or explaining the alleged fake-currency links is reported.
- Arrested
- Ranjit Sikdar, 46, and Dhiraj Mahato
- Occupation
- Sikdar taught geography at Lal Bahadur Shastri School in Nagrakata
- Brown sugar seized
- Approximately 68 grams
- Cash seized
- ₹8.49 lakh
- Fake currency seized
- Indian currency notes with a face value of around ₹1 lakh
- Other evidence
- Processing equipment, packaging material, and brown polyester cloth bearing chemical traces
- Legal action
- Cases filed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and counterfeit-currency laws