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 the Town Police Station limits in Balangir district, officials said on Sunday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Town Police Station intercepted a suspected SUV coming from Cuttack, which was carrying cough syrup allegedly meant for illegal distribution. Police said the accused attempted to escape in two vehicles, but one SUV was stopped, leading to the arrest of five persons.
The arrested individuals have been identified as four residents of Barpali Pada and Tulsi Nagar in Balangir district, including 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 carried out based on specific intelligence inputs. He added that the Town Police Station IIC and his team acted swiftly to intercept the vehicles suspected of carrying contraband.
Police seized 880 bottles of Eskuf cough syrup, five mobile phones, and one SUV from the possession of the accused. All five have been arrested under the NDPS Act and will be produced before the court.
The SDPO further said that one of the accused, Bidyadhar Sahoo, had earlier been arrested in a similar NDPS case. He is suspected to be a key link in the racket, while investigators are probing the source of procurement and the wider network involved.
Police said the seized consignment is estimated to be worth around Rs 1.97 lakh. Further investigation is underway to trace other members of the alleged network.