Thoubal (Manipur) [India], February 23 (HBTV): Manipur Police arrested a 29-year-old man in Thoubal district on Saturday and seized 730 bottles of codeine phosphate syrup from his residence.
The accused has been identified as Anash (29) of Lilong Tharaorok under Lilong Police Station in Thoubal district.
Earlier, a joint team of North Tripura Police and the GST Enforcement Wing in North Tripura seized a large consignment of contraband codeine-based cough syrup and arrested two persons at the Churaibari Sales Tax Gate.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, enforcement teams intercepted a truck bearing registration number WB 53 M 8596 at around 4 pm on January 7 on suspicion of transporting illegal items. The vehicle was searched in accordance with legal procedures and in the presence of a magistrate and independent witnesses.
During the operation, officials recovered 12,600 bottles of Eskuf, a codeine-based cough syrup, from the truck. The seized consignment is estimated to be worth INR 1.26 crore in the illegal market.
The vehicle’s driver and helper, identified as Panjab Sheikh and Based Sheikh, both residents of Murshidabad district in West Bengal, were taken into custody in connection with the seizure.
In a separate development, Varanasi Police froze eight immovable properties worth nearly INR 31 crore belonging to the main accused, Bhola Jaiswal, and others in a case related to the illicit trade of cough syrup.
According to Neetu Kadyan, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Varuna Zone, the assets were frozen under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The case was registered against Bhola Jaiswal, his son Shubham Jaiswal, and others in November last year after a large quantity of cough syrup was recovered from their possession. Police investigations revealed that Bhola Jaiswal was the alleged mastermind behind the illicit trade. The ADCP stated that eight immovable assets owned by him were identified and frozen under Section 68(f) of the NDPS Act.
(ANI)