Ranchi, 16 November (IANS). Large scale illegal supply of banned cough syrup containing codeine phosphate by a Ranchi-based drug supplier firm to several cities of Uttar Pradesh including Varanasi has been revealed.
In this case, the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department of Uttar Pradesh has lodged an FIR on Saturday against 28 wholesalers including a supplier named Shelly Traders of Ranchi in Varanasi. Investigation has revealed that Shelly Traders of Ranchi supplied cough syrup to 93 wholesale drug dealers of Uttar Pradesh apart from Varanasi.
According to officials, this network was supplying banned cough syrup to groups using it as an intoxicant. The investigation conducted on the basis of information received by the Drug Administration Department recently revealed that Shaili Traders purchased Phensedyl worth approximately Rs 89 lakh from Abbott Healthcare between the year 2023 to 2025 and supplied it illegally to various districts of Uttar Pradesh.
According to sources, evidence has been found of supplying drugs worth crores of rupees to Varanasi by Shaili Traders of Ranchi. This action in Varanasi was led by the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration Department. The investigation team did not find any sales record of cough syrup stock at many shops.
Based on this, drug inspector Junab Ali intensified the action and filed a case in Kotwali police station late on Saturday evening. A total of 28 drug dealers have been named in the FIR, of which Shubham Jaiswal, director of Shelly Traders, Ranchi, and his father Bhola Prasad are the main accused.
Police officials say that cough syrup was being supplied through this network on such a large scale that records were not maintained to avoid monitoring. The Varanasi-Ranchi link was revealed when the Department of Drug Administration was conducting a thorough check of stocks across the country following cases of death of children due to cough syrup containing codeine phosphate in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
After registering a case against a total of 28 wholesale drug sellers from Varanasi and Ranchi, the police is now conducting raids to arrest the accused. Officials have indicated that the scope of investigation may now be extended to other states as well, as the supply chain is likely to expand further.
–IANS
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