A major security operation was launched in Duttapukur in North 24 Parganas after police recovered a large quantity of suspected chemicals from a vehicle parked near the Tentultala area, close to Duttapukur market, and detained local businessman Rakibul Sheikh for questioning.
The vehicle, a white car, had reportedly remained parked beside Jessore Road from the afternoon. Local residents alerted the police at night after noticing that it had been left there for a prolonged period. Personnel from the local police station reached the spot and recovered the chemical material from the vehicle.
Investigators initially feared that the substance could be explosive, following which the area was cordoned off. Senior officers from the Barasat district police and the Bengal Special Task Force reached the location as the response widened. A bomb-disposal team was called in, while central security personnel were also deployed around the site.
National Security Guard and National Investigation Agency officials arrived at the location during the night, according to the report. Their presence reflected the authorities’ decision to treat the recovery as a potential security risk until the substance could be identified through technical examination.
The Bengal STF said the vehicle belonged to Rakibul Sheikh, who operates four car showrooms. The reported locations include Bira, Tentultala in Duttapukur, Digha More and Berachampa in Deganga. The vehicle had been kept outside Sheikh’s Tentultala showroom, and he regularly travelled in it, according to the information cited in the report.
Police detained Sheikh as part of the investigation. The detention was reported as an investigative step, and the supplied report does not establish that he has been charged with any offence or that he knew the nature of the material recovered from the vehicle.
The Bengal STF subsequently indicated that the recovered substance did not appear, at first assessment, to be a powerful chemical. Officials said its exact nature could be determined only after forensic examination. This leaves the central question of whether the material posed an explosive or other public-safety risk unresolved pending laboratory findings.
The incident also brought multiple layers of the security and emergency-response system into the same operation. Local police initiated the response after residents reported the unattended vehicle, while the district police, Bengal STF, bomb-disposal personnel, central forces, NSG and NIA officials were reported to have taken part in the subsequent assessment.
Further action will depend on the forensic examination of the recovered material and the findings of the ongoing investigation. Authorities have not, in the supplied report, announced the results of those tests or stated whether any formal case has been registered against the detained businessman.
