Mira-Bhayandar: The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) attached to the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have arrested two people who were found to be in possession of restricted drugs worth ₹3.66 lakh in Kashimira on Monday night. A patrolling tem from the ANC led by police inspector-Amar Marathe spotted two people moving around in suspicious circumstances opposite an eatery on the western express highway in the Versova area of Kashimira.
Duo gave themselves away by failing to answer police's questions
The team stopped the suspects who failed to give satisfactory replies to the questions posed about their presence in the area. The police checked the bag which they were carrying and found restricted drugs including bottles of cough syrups containing codeine phosphate and 10,800 tablets of Alprazolam-both scheduled drugs and thus their misuse and illegal sale as a narcotic is punishable under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act-1985. The collective value of the seizure is pegged at ₹3.66 lakh. While the name of the duo has been withheld, one of the accused stays in the Jesal Park area of Bhayandar (east) and the other is a resident of Thane.
Drug addicts use these restricted cough syrups to get high
The ANC is conducting investigations to ascertain the source and destination of the restricted drugs. Notably, there are stringent norms for sale and purchase of such cough syrups which are said to be powerful intoxicants. However, several drug addicts consume these syrups to get high. Moreover, several unregistered suppliers are supplying cough syrups and tablets to chemist’s who allegedly sell them at prices higher than the maximum retail price and that too without asking for the mandated prescription of a registered medical practitioner, sources said. Meanwhile an offence has been registered at the Kashimira police station against the duo who have been remanded to custody.
