ANTF Busts Spurious Cough Syrup Factory in Meghalaya, 3 Including Assam Man Held

The Khliehriat Police Station (PS) staff, in coordination with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), on September 30 apprehended a person named Altaf Hussain, allegedly involved in a recent consignment of illegal contraband concealed within his godown where a staggering 9,883 bottles of Phensedyl, a well-known cough syrup brand, were recovered.

During the investigation, Hussain revealed information leading to the apprehension of the main accused, Ratan Dkhar, residing in Ummulong who confessed to operating a mini factory within the basement of his residence, where he manufactured spurious cough syrup and labelled it as Phensedyl for illegal sale to Bangladesh.

Authorities subsequently conducted a search at Dkhar’s residence and seized an alarming cache of items related to the illegal drug manufacturing operation.

The seized items include 600 bottles of Elcodyl cough syrup (each of 100ml), 10 bottles of flavouring agent (500 ml each), 11 bottles of food colour (1 kg each), 10 kg of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride (an ingredient of Phensedyl), 1 kg of Chlorpheniramine Maleato (another ingredient of Phensedyl), 7 books on Pharmacology and Drug preparations, 34 bottles of Phensedyl (100ml), 780 empty 100ml bottles of Phensedyl, 46 cartons with Phensedyl already marked, 1 carton of bottle caps, 1 plastic bag of Phensedyl labels, 1 bottling machine, and 2 sophisticated machines for drug preparation and filtration. Additionally, a sum of Rs 11,790 in cash was seized.

Moreover, Dkhar disclosed the involvement of two accomplices from Assam. One of the accomplices, Shaheen, aiding in the transportation of the cough syrup towards Assam, has also been apprehended.

A case has been registered at Khliehriat PS, and a thorough investigation is underway to trace the linkages associated with this illicit trade.

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