The accused were in possession of the drugs despite knowing that their sale was prohibited without proper authorisation, police said
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An official said that the police have arrested five persons for illegally possessing a large number of bottles of two banned cough syrups valued at Rs 31.75 lakh in Thane district of Maharashtra, reported news agency PTI.
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These narcotic-laced cough syrups are often misused for intoxication, posing a serious public health hazard.
The accused were in possession of the drugs despite knowing that their sale was prohibited without proper authorisation, police said.
Based on a tip, the five persons were apprehended in Bhiwandi town on January 31, an official from Narpoli police station said, reported PTI.
The crime branch sleuths police seized 17,640 bottles of cough syrups, having codeine phosphate (a type of opiate) and other chemicals. They were stored in 147 boxes and were intended for illegal sale, he said, reported PTI.
"We are probing from where the accused obtained the stock and to whom they intended to sell it. Further arrests may follow as we uncover the larger supply chain," the official said.
A case has been registered against the five persons, in the age group of 24 to 45 years, under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, he said.
Eight booked for power theft of Rs 5.35 lakh in Thane
Police have registered a case against eight persons on charges of electricity theft of more than Rs 5.35 lakh in Maharashtra's Thane district, officials said.
Officials of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) conducted a raid on several houses at Kongaon in the Bhiwandi area on January 31.
They found some residents had bypassed the electricity meters to draw power directly from service wires connected to the electric poles.
The unauthorised connections allowed them to use power without recording the consumption between May 2023 and October 2024, leading to a substantial loss for the power supply company, an official from Shanti Nagar police station said.
A case has been registered against eight persons under provisions of the Electricity Act, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
