Spurious cough syrups, arms seized in Odisha's Bargarh; 15 arrested in major crackdown

Sambalpur (Odisha), Oct 6 (PTI) In a major crackdown on spurious cough syrups and arms trafficking, Odisha Police on Monday busted an inter-state racket operating in Bargarh district and arrested 15 people, officials said.

Acting on credible intelligence inputs regarding transportation and sale of banned cough syrup and firearms, seven police teams, including personnel from the district’s Special Squad, conducted simultaneous raids across multiple locations.

Among the 15 arrested, three were from Chhattisgarh.

During the raids, police seized 1,500 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup (100 ml each), five country-made pistols with magazines, 20 live ammunition, three empty cartridge cases, 16 mobile phones, five four-wheelers, and Rs 57,200 in cash.

According to preliminary investigation, the accused were part of a well-organised inter-state network engaged in the transportation, possession, and sale of cough syrup and illegal firearms.

The syrup was allegedly sourced from outside Odisha and distributed through local agents to smaller networks operating in western Odisha and bordering regions, police said.

Briefing the media, Bargarh SP Prahalad Sahai Meena said, "Acting on credible information, the first raid was conducted by the Town Police team, during which three accused from Chhattisgarh were apprehended. Their interrogation provided crucial leads, leading to the arrest of the remaining accused”.

"As of now, five police teams are still active and conducting raids at various locations to trace others involved in the racket. Further investigation is in progress to uncover the entire network," he said.

Four separate cases have been registered in connection with the seizure under various sections of the NDPS Act, Arms Act, and Drugs and Cosmetics Act at Sadar, Town, Attabira, and Bijepur police stations, officials said. PTI COR AAM AAM MNB