Police arrested Samrat Mandal, the owner of the house.[1] The arrest was for the offence of keeping narcotics.[1] Officers of Sitalkuchi police station in Cooch Behar district recovered the cannabis after acting on a tip-off from a secret source.[1] The recovery was made on Saturday morning in Purba Bhogdabri village, in Bhaoirthana gram panchayat, the village-level council.[1] The house, an ordinary-looking building inside the village, had been made a base for illegal trade.[1] Police had information that illegal activity had been going on there for a long time, and they raided the home of village resident Samrat Mandal that morning.[1]

A thorough search of the house found nothing, but the officers refused to give up and then noticed a mound of earth at one side of the yard.[1] Digging into the mound, they found a large drum wrapped in plastic, which police likened to treasure.[1] The drum had been hidden under the ground and held 35 kg 500 g of cannabis, known locally as ganja.[2] Police registered a case against Mandal.[1]