Cops seize 710 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, arrest two

The arrested accused in police custody

The Malwani police in Malad on Tuesday arrested two individuals and seized 710 bottles of codeine phosphate-based cough syrup labelled Onerex, which have an estimated market value of Rs 3,55,000, from them. The accused were arrested for the sale of the illegal substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Acting on the directives of Zone XI DCP Anand Bhoite, Senior Police Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar's surveillance team led by Police Sub-Inspector Dr Deepak Hinde were conducting patrol duty in Beat No. 1, during which they detained two suspects, and upon inspection, police discovered two white sacks containing plastic bottles of cough syrup labelled Onerex, which contains codeine phosphate, a controlled narcotic substance.

Seized codeine-based cough syrup

Following the discovery of the bottles, the police arrested Rizwan Vakil Ansari, 29, a resident of Gopal Nagar Chawl in Dharavi, and Naved Abdul Hamid Batatawala, 27, a resident of Dongri. "Interrogations revealed that the accused were using a delivery service to send the substance across the city," said an officer from the Malwani police station.

Based on the findings, a case has been registered under Section 8(c) read with Sections 22(c) and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. "We are now probing the source and distribution network of the narcotic cough syrup, and further investigation is underway," the officer added.