Bolangir: Police Saturday busted an interstate cough syrup smuggling racket and seized 14,400 bottles from a truck in Kandagada forest under Turekela police limits in Bolangir district. The cops arrested two persons for their involvement in smuggling of cough syrup bottles worth over Rs 20 lakh.
One of the arrested persons has been identified as the driver of a truck, a resident of Karnataka state and the second one as a resident of Khujenbahal village under Turekela police limits.
The police were tipped off that a truck with a consignment of Ascoril cough syrup bottles was passing through Kandagada forest. A team was formed and it raided in the forest and seized the truck. Upon carrying out a search, they found 14, 400 cough syrup bottles in 90 cartoons were in the truck. As the driver and another occupant of the truck couldn’t produce any valid documents to prove their innocence, they were arrested, it was learnt.
In a press release, Bolangir SP Kusalkar Nitin Dagdu informed that the accused persons were planning to sell the cough syrup bottles through local retailers at higher prices.
The police also seized some tablets and Rs13,000 in cash from the accused. A detailed investigation is underway to find out if some other members are involved in the racket.
PNN