840 bottles of banned cough syrup seized in Bhadrak, 1 arrested

The Drugs Squad and Bhadrak Police on Wednesday seized 840 bottles of banned cough syrup from Basudebpur market in Odisha's Bhadrak district during a joint raid. The contraband was recovered from a local medical shop, where it was allegedly being sold illegally.

Officials said the cough syrup was stored in seven boxes, each containing 120 bottles. The total value of the seized consignment has been estimated at over ₹1.5 lakh.

One person has been arrested in connection with the case, while further investigation is underway to ascertain the involvement of others in the illegal trade.

“We have recovered seven boxes of illegal cough syrup, with each box containing 120 bottles, totalling 840 bottles,” said Basudebpur Excise Inspector Madhusudan Sahu.

Earlier cough syrup raids

In a similar case earlier, Bolangir police busted an illegal cough syrup trafficking racket in the Chudapalli area of Bolangir district, seizing 50 bottles of prohibited cough syrup and arresting three persons. The arrests were made following specific intelligence inputs about the movement of an illegal consignment, police sources said.

Repeated incidents of illegal cough syrup sales have once again highlighted the need for stricter monitoring and enforcement to curb the misuse of medicinal drugs in the state.