Police have arrested two people after fish were allegedly stolen and a pond poisoned inside the Kolkata Armed Police headquarters in Cossipore, north Kolkata, prompting an investigation into a security breach, suspected chemical contamination and possible risks to wildlife and personnel at the compound.
The incident took place at the headquarters of the 2nd and 8th battalions of the Kolkata Armed Police on BT Road. According to a complaint filed by Partha Sarathi Mandal, officer-in-charge of buildings at the 2nd Battalion, unidentified people entered the government compound on or before September 9 and removed a substantial quantity of fish from the internal pond.
Police identified the arrested men as Himadri Saha and Sohrab Ali. During questioning, the two denied involvement in the alleged theft and told investigators that they had been trying to clean the pond. Police said further arrests were possible as they investigate whether more people were involved.
The complaint alleges that the intruders used vehicles and specialised equipment to harvest the fish. It states that no private vendor or individual had been granted a lease, licence or permission to enter the water body, harvest fish or introduce chemicals into it. The pond is under the administrative control of the Kolkata Armed Police.
Investigators subsequently found empty containers near the pond carrying labels of cypermethrin-based insecticides. These chemicals are highly toxic to aquatic organisms, according to the police complaint. Officers allege that a toxic substance was released into the water before the intruders left, resulting in the deaths of fish and other aquatic life.
The complaint describes widespread biological damage and says decomposing aquatic life produced a strong smell across the BT Road premises. Police have also raised concerns about possible exposure because the water body is accessed by wildlife, birds and personnel stationed inside the estate.
The alleged poisoning has added an environmental dimension to what began as a suspected theft from a controlled institutional property. The case also raises questions about how unauthorised vehicles and people entered a heavily guarded government compound, although investigators have not yet publicly established how the breach occurred.
Cossipore Police registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to criminal trespass, theft, poisoning and mischief. The case also includes Section 5 of the West Bengal Inland Fisheries Act, 1984, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
Police said the internal CCTV network captured the movement of unauthorised vehicles and suspects inside the premises. Investigators are analysing the footage to identify other people allegedly connected to the fish theft and pond poisoning. The probe is continuing.
