Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 20 : Raebareli police have arrested a man for his involvement in the illegal trafficking of codeine-based cough syrup. Acting on a complaint from the Drug Inspector, officials caught Priyanshu Gautam and sent him to judicial custody on Thursday. Earlier, in a similar case, Divakar Singh, who owned Ajay Pharma, was also arrested for supplying the cough syrup.
"In response, a case number 335/25 was registered," Assistant Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Sinha said. "Previously, a similar case had been filed in the Mill Area, where Divakar Singh was jailed for the same offence. Today, Priyanshu Gautam was arrested and is being sent to judicial custody.", he added.
On Friday, Samajwadi Party MLA Mukesh Verma protested over the codeine cough syrup issue in Uttar Pradesh. He said that higher-ups are involved in this case and questioned who is responsible for the lives of children. The MLA expressed concern over the codeine cough syrups being sold in the market.
"Every limit is crossed now; they are selling poison under the guise of cough syrup. Many high-profile and wealthy individuals are involved in this nexus," he said.
The MLA also asked whether those involved in the case would have their homes bulldozed.
"When are they sending bulldozers to their houses? Innocent toddlers have lost their lives. Who will be held responsible for them?" he stated.
The SP MLA Brajesh Yadav also protested against the cough syrup case by cycling to the Assembly. He noted that the case is drawing widespread concern, and the BJP's distribution of toxic syrup is also being discussed.
"In our state and across the country, it is being discussed that the BJP distributed toxic cough syrup, which killed the children of the poor," he said.
He stated that the people involved in the case profited and crossed the border. The MLA said that the BJP government is helping them out and called for their immediate detention.
"People earned money and fled abroad. Meanwhile, the BJP Govt is protecting them. So, the government should immediately arrest such people and jail them," he said.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath also shared details about the case while addressing the media on Friday. He said that under the leadership of the Uttar Pradesh Police and Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), action was initiated under the NDPS Act.