Kolkata: Something fishy is taking place inside a pond located within the well-guarded premises of the 2nd and 8th battalions of the Kolkata Armed Police (KAP) at Cossipore in north Kolkata.Dead fish have been recovered from the pond, while cops allege that a large quantity of fish was stolen in a single night.Cops said two persons have been arrested so far — Himadri Saha and Sohrab Ali. During questioning, the accused denied involvement in the theft, saying they were trying to clean the pond. More arrests are likely, cops said.The midnight breach occurred inside the headquarters of the two battalions on BT Road, triggering a probe after unidentified culprits allegedly entered the KAP premises illegally, looted a substantial quantity of fish and poisoned the pond, causing severe ecological damage, cops claimed in their FIR.According to a complaint submitted by inspector Partha Sarathi Mandal, OC (building), 2nd Battalion, the trespassers breached the heavily guarded govt compound on or before Sept 9.“Operating with vehicles and specialised equipment, the miscreants harvested and stole a substantial stock of diverse fish species from the internal pond, which is under the exclusive administrative control of the Kolkata Armed Police. No private vendor or individual had been granted lease, licence, or entry permission to harvest the water body or introduce any chemicals into it,” the complaint stated.Before fleeing, the perpetrators allegedly dumped a toxic substance into the water body. The chemical attack caused immediate, widespread mortality, wiping out the remaining fish stock and other aquatic life, cops claimed.Investigating officers subsequently recovered empty chemical containers near the banks bearing labels of cypermethrin-based insecticides, which are highly toxic to aquatic organisms.“The mass destruction of biological species has devastated the local ecosystem. Decomposing marine life has generated a strong, pungent stench across the BT Road premises, raising urgent environmental and public health concerns,” the complaint further stated.Cops also expressed concern that the contaminated water body is regularly accessed by wildlife, birds and personnel stationed at the estate, creating a continuing risk of toxic exposure.Based on Mandal’s complaint, Cossipore Police registered a case under BNS sections relating to criminal trespass, theft, poisoning and mischief, besides 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 entire sequence of events, including the movement of unauthorised vehicles and suspects inside the secure estate, was captured by the internal CCTV network. Investigators are analysing the footage to track down the network allegedly behind the fish theft and poisoning of the pond.
