Banned cough syrup worth Rs 3 crore seized, three held in UP

A joint team of police and excise department officials seized banned cough syrup worth Rs 3 crore and arrested three accused in this connection here, an official said on Sunday. Additional Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said 1.19 lakh bottles of banned cough syrup worth about Rs 3 crore, being transported from Ghaziabad to Jharkhand in two container trucks, were seized near Churk in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district on Saturday evening, and three accused were arrested. He said that after examining the cough syrup, the drug inspector confirmed that they contained the narcotic substance codeine, which falls under the category of prohibited drug under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The officer said the three accused -- Hemant Pal, a resident of Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh), Brajmohan Shivhare, a resident of Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), and Ramgopal Dhakad, a resident of Gwalior -- revealed during interrogation that they smuggled the contraband between cartons of chips and snacks to evade authorities. The accused also disclosed that a person in Jharkhand was going to tell them where to unload the consignment, the police said, adding that a case has been registered against the three accused.