UP: Cop held while taking Rs 4 lakh bribe in banned cough syrup case

Ghaziabad (UP), Nov 21 (PTI) A crime branch inspector investigating a banned cough syrup trafficking racket was arrested after he was allegedly caught red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 4 lakh to favour an accused businessman, police said on Friday.

Inspector Ramesh Singh Sidhoo, posted with the crime branch, was apprehended on Thursday evening by a team from Sihani Gate police station following specific inputs, officials said.

Nandgram Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Upasana Pandey, who led the operation, said an FIR has been registered against Sidhoo under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

"The accused inspector will be produced in court and sent to jail after obtaining judicial remand," she said.

The businessman who allegedly offered the bribe fled the spot and efforts are underway to arrest him, the ACP added.

Notably, four trucks loaded with Phensydyl -- a banned cough syrup -- were recovered recently from a warehouse at Machli Godown on the Delhi-Meerut road. The consignment was suspected to be headed towards the Bangladesh border for smuggling, according to police.

Earlier, on October 18, Sonbhadra police had intercepted two trucks carrying the same contraband substance.

During interrogation, the drivers revealed the location of the warehouse, leading the authorities to four additional trucks stealthily parked at the spot, officials said. PTI COR KIS ARB ARB ARB