Sambalpur: In a major breakthrough for local cops, the Sambalpur police Sunday busted an illegal drugs manufacturing racket and arrested three including a medicine shop owner here.
The main accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar Choudhury, a medicine shop owner of Sundargarh district, the cops said. His aides have been identified as Mohammed Shahid Ansari of Daleipada and Laxmidhar Sahu of Mohantypada under Town police limits.
They have been into the illegal drugs business since years and despite being arrested several times, they used to get out on bail and resume the business, said Sambalpur SP Sanjeev Arora in a press brief at Ainthapalli police station.
A special team had been formed a month back to crack this illegal business and arrest the kingpin. After several raids, the team came to know about Choudhury who masterminded the operation and supplied the drugs from his store.
Acting on a tip-off, the team conducted raids at his medicine store and godown and seized 32 cartons containing about 3,200 Corex cough syrups, 28 cartons containing 9,300 tablets and 49,000 injections along with other medicines that have intoxicating properties.
These products were often sold at 10 per cent over the market price.
Apart from Sambalpur, these drugs were also supplied to other Western Odisha districts like Bargarh, Bolangir, Jharsuguda, Deogarh and Sonepur.
A probe into his business also revealed that he had not obtained necessary licenses to sell medicines. The issue will be brought to the notice of the state drugs squad director, the SP concluded.