Bolangir: Acting on a tip-off, a special squad of the Bolangir Town police conducted a raid and arrested two illegal cough syrup sellers from Bhubaneswar Monday.
The duo has been identified as Sana alias Gobind Negi (38) and Prasant Kheti (42).
The main accused Sana had been giving a slip to cops since last few months while his aide Kheti escaped from Bolangir police station May 6. The duo has several cases against its names in many police stations, sources said.
They were produced in a court Monday and later remanded in judicial custody after the court rejected their bail pleas.
According to police, Sana of Barapalipada in Bolangir Town carried out the illegal cough syrup trade. He was helped by Kheti in this illegal business. The two had developed a customer base and supplied their products to various places including Bhubaneswar and Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
Two murder cases have also been linked to their cough syrup business, police said. Moreover, youngsters were getting habituated with the cough syrups and were getting waylaid. Sana has got many youngsters into illegal businesses by putting them in the habit of consuming cough syrups.
After repeated complaints, police conducted raids to stop his illegal business. March 21, cops seized an SUV filled with 3,520 cough syrup bottles and arrested five of Sana’s aides in this connection.
Based on the confession of the aides, police were on the lookout for Sana. But, every time he managed to evade police.
Later, a special team was formed who arrested the duo from Bhubaneswar.
The two will be taken on remand and a further probe to its various branches will be launched, SDPO Srimant Barik said before media persons at a press meet. Along with the SDPO Bolangir IIC Tofan Bag was present at the presser.