Sambalpur: In a fresh crackdown on narcotics trafficking, Burla police seized more than a hundred bottles of cough syrup and banned narcotic tablets during a late-night raid near Mirdhapada Hanuman temple in Burla town. Three persons were arrested in connection with the illegal trade and later produced before a local court.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs while on routine patrol on Monday night, police raided the area and recovered 122 bottles of Escof cough syrup. During inspection, officers found that the caps of three bottles had already been opened; indicating that part of the stock had been used.
In addition to the cough syrup, police also seized strips of Nite-10 branded narcotic tablets. Out of a 10-tablet strip, seven tablets had already been consumed, leaving only three behind. Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused were allegedly mixing the cough syrup with the narcotic tablets before selling the combination to consumers.
The police also confiscated the car allegedly used for transporting the contraband, along with ₹3,600 in cash and three mobile phones believed to have been used in coordinating the illegal activity.
A case has been registered at Burla Police Station. The arrested accused have been identified as K. Sujit (24) of Bhaktimandap in Burla town, Sushant Nag (36) of Bishnumandirapada, and Sanket Mishra (28) of 5 No. Lane, Phatak Malipada under Sambalpur Town police station limits.
Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the contraband and identify possible links to a larger supply network.
