A 39-year-old man, a resident of Hooghly’s Uttarpara, was arrested from Russell Street on Saturday for allegedly possessing a banned drug, police said.
An officer at Lalbazar said police seized about 10g of MDMA from Aditya D. Sikkhwal, who was picked up following a tip-off.
The website of the US-headquartered National Institute on Drug Abuse says “MDMA is a synthetic drug that acts as a stimulant and hallucinogen. It produces an energising effect, distortions in time and perception, and enhanced enjoyment from sensory experiences”.
Officers from the narcotics cell of Calcutta police’s detective department nabbed Sikkhwal near Russell Street. “He couldn’t give any reason why he was carrying the drug,” said the officer.
Sikkhwal was taken to Shakespeare Sarani police station. He has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
“The accused was carrying the drug in seven small pouches,” an officer said. “Possession of MDMA is illegal, irrespective of the quantity. The punishment depends on the volume of the contraband found on the accused.”
The website of the Narcotics Control Bureau of the central government mentions 10g of MDMA as large quantity.
Sikkhwal was produced in court on Sunday and remanded in judicial custody for a day. Officers said they would interrogate him to know about the intended recipient.
