Shahjahanpur,

20 Dec (HS): Suresh Khanna, Parliamentary Affairs and Finance Minister, said on

Saturday that 74 cases have been recorded and 75 persons have been detained in

connection with the unlawful storage and sale of codeine-based cough syrup in

31 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Addressing reporters here, Khanna stated that

around 12.65 lakh bottles of codeine-based cough medication were confiscated

during the investigation, and that action was taken against 132 businesses. He

said that individuals detained in the case had some association with the

Samajwadi Party. The minister stated that a Special Investigation Team (SIT),

led by a Director General of Police official, had been formed to investigate

the scam. The

SIT has taken action against 15 major conspirators, and more suspects are being

identified and prosecuted, he added.

Khanna

stated that look-out circulars (LOCs) have been issued against 12 key accused,

and the process of issuing LOCs against more suspects is underway. He stated

that examinations found that codeine-based cough medication provided by pharmaceutical

manufacturing businesses did not reach lower-level retail medical outlets. Instead,

he said, bogus invoices were used to divert big consignments for non-medical

purposes, with the syrup potentially being transported to Nepal and Bangladesh.

The finance minister stated that codeine-based cough syrup is listed under

Schedule H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, and that such drugs can

only be supplied by retail pharmacists with a valid medical prescription and

the buyer's complete information recorded in registers.

Khanna

stated that, on the chief minister's orders, Uttar Pradesh Police, in

collaboration with the Drug Administration Department, is waging a continuous

campaign against the unlawful storage, acquisition, distribution, and diversion

of codeine-based cough syrup. Reiterating his accusation, he stated that 75

people had been detained so far, and that the main conspirators in the scam

were affiliated with the Samajwadi Party.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi