Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Two Arrested Over Smuggled Cosmetics Worth ₹34 Lakh in Alipurduar
Some people tried to sneak soap and makeup into India without paying taxes.
The police got a secret tip about the plan.
They waited on a highway called Asian Highway 48 late at night.
A pickup van came by, and the police stopped it.
The van was full of soap and cosmetics.
The two men in the van tried to run away, but the police caught them.
The products were made in other countries like Pakistan and Thailand.
Police think the goods came through Bhutan to avoid paying import duties.
The two men will stay in police custody for five days while the case is investigated.
Police in Alipurduar seized a consignment of foreign-made toiletries allegedly being smuggled in a pickup van on Friday night.
The vehicle was travelling from Jaigaon towards Siliguri when it was intercepted on Asian Highway 48 after a tip-off.
The driver, Om Ghosh, and his assistant, Laxman Goala, both residents of Chhoto Mechiabusty in Jaigaon, were arrested.
The seized soap and cosmetics, valued at around ₹34 lakh, were reportedly manufactured in Pakistan and Thailand.
Police suspect the goods entered India through Bhutan to evade import duties and are probing the wider smuggling network.
- Who
- Driver Om Ghosh and assistant Laxman Goala, both residents of Chhoto Mechiabusty in Jaigaon
- What
- A pickup van carrying smuggled foreign-made cosmetics and soap worth about ₹34 lakh was intercepted and seized by police
- When
- Friday night, with the two men produced in court on Saturday
- Where
- Asian Highway 48 near Hasimara in Alipurduar, West Bengal
- Why
- Police suspect the consignment entered India through Bhutan to evade import duties and was being transported to Siliguri
- Seized items
- Foreign-made toiletries, including soap and cosmetics
- Estimated value
- Around ₹34 lakh
- Arrested persons
- Om Ghosh and Laxman Goala
- Interception point
- Asian Highway 48, Hasimara police outpost area
- Products' origin
- Pakistan and Thailand
- Suspected entry route
- Into India via Bhutan
- Destination
- Siliguri
- Court action
- Produced before chief judicial magistrate's court, Alipurduar; five-day police custody