Five Arrested, 880 Bottles of Eskuf Cough Syrup Seized in Balangir Raid

Balangir: Police have arrested five persons and seized 880 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup during a raid on the Balangir–Titlagarh road near Smart Park under Town Police Station limits in Balangir district, officials said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team from Town Police Station intercepted a suspected SUV coming from Cuttack that was allegedly transporting the cough syrup for illegal distribution. Police said the accused attempted to flee in two vehicles, but one SUV was stopped, leading to the arrests.

The arrested persons have been identified as four residents of Barpali Pada and Tulsi Nagar in Balangir district, along with Bidyadhar Sahoo of Talpalipara, and Sushil Kumar Sahoo of Narsinghpur in Cuttack district.

Balangir Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Saroj Kumar Upadhyaya said the operation was launched based on specific intelligence inputs. He said the Town Police Station Inspector-in-Charge and his team acted swiftly to intercept the suspected vehicles.

Police seized 880 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup, five mobile phones, and one SUV from their possession. All five accused have been arrested under the NDPS Act and will be produced before the court.

The SDPO further stated that one of the accused, Bidyadhar Sahoo, had earlier been arrested in a similar NDPS case and is suspected to be a key link in the racket. Investigators are now probing the source of procurement and the wider distribution network.

Police said the seized consignment is valued at around ₹1.97 lakh. Further investigation is underway to identify other members involved in the alleged network.