STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A joint operation by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Crime Intelligence Branch (CIB) at Guwahati Railway Station led to the seizure of more than 4,300 bottles of suspected codeine-based cough syrup and the arrest of one person under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Acting on specific intelligence, personnel of the RPF Crime Prevention and Detection Squad (CPDS) and the CIB kept surveillance near the parcel gate adjacent to Platform No. 1 after receiving information that a consignment of banned cough syrup was being transported through the leased SLR coach of Train No. 15609 Guwahati–Sairang Express.
During the operation, the team intercepted a man attempting to load 29 cartons into the train. Inspection of the packages revealed 4,341 bottles of cough syrup, each containing 100 ml of a formulation comprising Codeine Phosphate and Triprolidine Hydrochloride.
The accused, identified as Md. Shahjada (35), a resident of Darbhanga district in Bihar, allegedly failed to produce any valid licence or permit for transporting the consignment. Investigators said the packages had been labelled as “Fluid” in an apparent attempt to conceal their actual contents.
The seized consignment comprised 1,498 bottles of COF-TRIP and 2,843 bottles of KOFF-TRIP, with an estimated value of around Rs 13.1 lakh.
Following verification by the Drug Inspector, Guwahati, the accused and the seized consignment were handed over to the Government Railway Police (GRP), Guwahati. A case was registered under Section 22(C) of the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway.
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