The Uttar Pradesh government has established a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the illegal sale and trafficking of codeine-based cough syrups, following numerous police reports in various districts.
The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a special investigation team to examine the illegal sale, storage and trafficking of codeine-based cough syrups after multiple police cases were filed across the state, officials said Tuesday.
The SIT was formed because the offences span several districts and departments and are believed to involve organised groups trading codeine syrup for profit, according to an official statement.
The three-member team will be led by Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) L.R. Kumar. Senior Superintendent of Police (STF) Sushil Ghule Chandrabhanu and Akhilesh Kumar Jain, assistant commissioner at the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, will serve as members.
The team has been tasked with investigating financial transactions linked to the illegal trade, diversion of pharmaceutical products, inter-state networks and proceeds of crime. It will also look into cases involving suspects who have fled abroad and begin the process for their extradition, the statement said.
The government has asked the SIT to complete its probe in a “quality and time-bound” manner and submit a detailed report within a month.
Several FIRs have been registered in recent days in different districts of Uttar Pradesh over illegal trafficking of codeine-based syrups, with local police units already conducting inquiries.
The state had announced on Monday that it would form the SIT and noted that no deaths linked to codeine-based cough syrups have been reported in Uttar Pradesh.
