Bhubaneswar, Oct 14: In a major crackdown on illegal drug trafficking, Bareipali police in Sambalpur district arrested 20 individuals involved in smuggling large quantities of cough syrup, commonly misused as a narcotic substance. The accused were caught red-handed at Mesinkata Chowk while attempting to sell the contraband.

Acting on a tip-off, Inspector Radhakanta Barik and his team launched a swift raid, initially apprehending five key accused — Amaresh Padhan alias Akash, Mahindra Kisan alias Mathu, Prabhat Bhoi alias Tittu, Amod Karali, and Manish Singh. The police seized 5,100 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup (each 100 ml) packed in 17 sealed jerry cans from two vehicles — a white Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire and a white Mahindra pickup.

During interrogation, Amaresh revealed that he had collected funds from several local peddlers to purchase the cough syrup, which were later transferred through UPI to a dealer in Cuttack. In addition to the vehicles, police also seized five mobile phones and Rs 40,920 in cash.

Police have intensified their investigation to trace the entire supply network and identify the main suppliers behind the illegal operation.

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