Jharsuguda: In a major blow to illegal drug networks, Badmal Police seized codeine-based cough syrup worth over ₹1.2 crore and arrested two key operatives, delivering a significant win for Odisha’s ongoing Nashamukt Abhiyan initiative.
The operation led to the recovery of 23,640 bottles of Wincerex syrup containing codeine phosphate and triprolidine hydrochloride.
Acting on specific intelligence, a special police team intercepted a truck and an escorting SUV near a fly ash brick factory in Tumbekela under Badmal police limits at around 11 am on Monday. Following mandatory procedural protocol in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and independent witnesses, the officers conducted a thorough search of the vehicles and recovered 197 sealed cartons holding the 100-ml bottles, amounting to 2,364 litres, well above the commercial quantity threshold under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The two arrested suspects have been identified as Mohammad Ahsan Ahmed (38), a resident of Darjibigha in Bihar’s Aurangabad district, and Rijwan Ansari (28), from Aliganj in the Bardhaman district of West Bengal. Police also seized Rs 2.44 lakh in cash, an Apple iPhone 16 and an OPPO A5 Pro mobile phone along with the two vehicles used to transport the consignment.
“During interrogation, the accused revealed that the consignment was procured from Jagannathpur in Chaibasa, Jharkhand. The value of the seized contraband is over Rs 1.2 crore. The accused were produced in court,” Jharsuguda SP G R Raghavendra said.
Preliminary interrogations revealed that the duo procured the commercial stock from Jagannathpur in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, without valid bills or authorisation, intending to distribute it illegally across regional markets for substantial financial gains. Both individuals have been booked under Sections 21(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985, and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
The SP added that further investigation is underway to trace the origin of the consignment, map the full interstate supply chain, determine the intended destination and arrest other members of the network.