Sonepur: Excise officials in Subarnapur district seized 1,500 bottles of ESkuf cough syrup and arrested three men Wednesday following a high-speed chase on National Highway 57.
The arrested individuals were identified as Uddhav Bagar, 35, of Gandhinagarpada, Shibu Meher, 20, of Bibhutipada and Rajendra Barik, 24, of Barpalipada in Bolangir town.
The Excise department registered a case (346/26) and seized the vehicle used in the smuggling. The suspects were produced in the court Wednesday evening.
The Subarnapur district mobile unit of the Excise department intercepted a car (OD-02AU-0205) travelling from Jagatpur in Cuttack district towards Bolangir.
Acting on a tip-off to Excise Superintendent Prabir Kumar Samal, officials set up a checkpoint at Patabhadi Chhak on Khurda-Bolangir NH-57.
According to officials, the driver attempted to flee at high speed, losing control of the vehicle and striking an auto-rickshaw, when the sleuths tried to intercept it.
A search of the car revealed 60 cartons containing 1500 bottles of 100-ml syrup, totalling approximately 150 litres. Preliminary investigations suggest the syrup was intended for use as an intoxicant.
The operation included Mobile Unit Inspector Govinda Naik, Range Inspector Haraprasad Rana, and several assistant sub-inspectors.
