A truck carrying 1,500 kg of hair worth nearly USD 114,000 was hijacked in Nadia district, with its driver abducted and the consignment stolen. Police have arrested five suspects, including a civic volunteer, and identified an 18 year old with a history of violent crimes as the alleged mastermind. The consignment, packed in about 30 gunny bags, was en route from Hyderabad to Beldanga in Murshidabad, where 14 traders were set to process the material for export to markets in Istanbul, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and beyond. Human hair, used to make wigs and related products, fuels a lucrative export business and supports a wide employment network of jobs.
Those arrested were picked up across Nadia and Murshidabad in a two day operation. They were presented before the Krishnagar district judge’s court, which remanded them in police custody for three days. The suspected ringleader had reportedly been involved in robbery and dacoity cases, including a past heist in Jharkhand. Acting on intelligence, police apprehended him in Dhubulia.
The hijacked truck, which had set out from Hyderabad, came under surveillance near Shalimar before being intercepted. The driver was abducted and taken to Shantipur, while the vehicle was driven to Bholadanga in Nakashipara. By early Sunday morning, the cargo had been unloaded, and the abandoned truck was later discovered on the roadside at Jugpur. The stolen hair was divided between the residence of on an individual and a warehouse owned by another. Investigators pieced the chain of events together through CCTV footage and tip offs. Suspicion grew after two unusually light gunny bags were noticed outside a police source’s home in Haridrapota, with similar bags turning up in Bholadanga.
Police are exploring whether the heist was linked to business rivalries among traders, potentially a staged robbery designed to pressure the transporter for extra fees while secretly retaining the goods for illegal profit. “We have arrested five people, including a civic volunteer. The investigation is continuing,” said the Superintendent of Police.
The case has stirred public attention in the region, showing the often overlooked but thriving hair export industry that quietly sustains livelihoods while generating substantial profits for traders and exporters.