Huge haul of banned cough syrup worth Rs 1 crore seized in Odisha’s Jharsuguda; two held
Jharsuguda : Odisha Police have seized banned cough syrup worth around Rs 1 crore and arrested two persons in Jharsuguda district, officials said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team intercepted a truck near Tumbekela under Badmal police limits on Monday. During the search, officers recovered 197 cartons containing 23,640 bottles of banned cough syrup, each of 100 ml capacity.
The seized consignment, weighing a total of 2,364 litres, contained codeine phosphate and triprolidine hydrochloride, substances commonly misused and regulated under the law.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Ahsan Ahmed (38), a resident of Bihar, and Rijwan Ansari (28), from West Bengal. Police also seized the truck used for transportation and recovered Rs 2.44 lakh in cash from their possession.
Jharsuguda Superintendent of Police Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said preliminary investigation revealed that the consignment had been procured from Jagannathpur in neighbouring Jharkhand and was being transported for illegal distribution.
“A case has been registered under the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway to trace the source of the contraband, identify the interstate supply network, determine its intended destination, and apprehend others involved in the racket,” the SP said.
