NCB Unearths China-Made 'Molly' Drug Racket Targeting Students in Kolkata, 3 Arrested

Kolkata: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday arrested three drug peddlers in Kolkata for supplying drug candies, jelly candies, lozenges to unsuspecting school and college students.

The investigators also seized a large number of ‘Molly’ or ‘Ecstasy’ candies from the accused.

The arrested persons have been taken to the NCB zonal office for further interrogation. According to sources, they three men have even confessed to having supplied these candies to students in Kolkata and its adjoining areas.

On Sunday night, the NCB arrested a popular DJ along with two others.

Speaking to News18, NCB Zonal Director Dilip Kumar Srivastava, said, “This is a matter of concern for us as these drug candies are reaching young students. This is an alarming trend and we managed to apprehend the accused early on Tuesday morning.”

When asked to elaborate, Srivastava added, “These are not normal drug candies but MDMA (3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) Ecstasy candies. It is a synthetic drug, popularly known as Molly, which alters an individual’s mood and perception. It works as stimulants and causes hallucination. It also causes an overdrive of energy, pleasure, emotional warmth and a distorted sensory.”

The dangerous drug racket affecting school students has become very active in Kolkata over the past few months. The bureau said that a massive operation has been launched to arrest others who could be involved in the racket.

He said, “A preliminary inquiry has revealed that these MDMA candies were procured from China through an online portal. We are trying to locate the handler in India and are hopeful that he will be arrested soon.”

The officer added that close to 150 candies and 148 LSD blot papers were seized from the possession of these men.

The arrested individuals were identified as DJ Nikhil Lakhwani, Robert Dixon and Henry Lawrence Manna. They will be produced before a city court, while NCB officials will appeal for their custody for further investigation.

According to police, the accused have confessed to their crime and revealed that they procured the drugs from Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. “Based on Nikhil’s interrogation, we managed to get the names of the suppliers,” Srivastava said.