Sambalpur: The Excise Department has seized a huge consignment of cough syrup and intoxicant tablets from a pickup van (Bolero Pik-Up) at Hatibari in Odisha’s Sambalpur district. One person has been detained in connection with the seizure.
The consignment was being transported from the Jagatpur area of Kataka district to Sambalpur and Bargarh, Ashwini Kumar Mallick, Deputy Superintendent of Excise, Sambalpur, said on Thursday.
He said the department had received information about a large consignment of cough syrup being transported through the area.
“Two days ago, Sadar police had seized cough syrup bottles. Based on information that another huge consignment was on its way, teams comprising officials from the Redhakhol and Dhama Excise units were deployed at Redhakhol to keep watch on the vehicle carrying the consignment,” Mallick said.
The officials spotted the vehicle at Redhakhol and attempted to stop it. However, the driver allegedly ignored their instructions and sped away. The Excise team chased the vehicle and eventually intercepted it in the Hatibari locality.
During the search, officials recovered around 2,400 bottles of cough syrup and several Nitrazepam tablets from the vehicle.
According to Mallick, the driver appeared to be in an intoxicated state. During interrogation, he reportedly admitted that he had brought the consignment from Jagatpur in Kataka district.
The consignment was meant to be distributed between Sambalpur and Bargarh districts, with half intended for each district, the Excise official said.
However, Mallick declined to disclose the identity of the accused. “One person has been detained in this connection. We will reveal his name shortly,” he told media persons.
The Excise Department is continuing its investigation to establish the source and intended recipients of the seized contraband.
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