KAMALPUR, May 13 (TIWN): The Kamalpur Police in an anti-narcotic drive seized thousands of bottles of contraband cough syrup near Halhali-Fatikroy road being smuggled to Bangladesh.

Acting on a tip-off on Wednesday Kamalpur Police personnel seized at least 1000 bottles of phensedyl from Halhali-Fatikroy road under Kamalpur Police Station. The phensedyl bottles were seized from a Maruti Van bearing number TR-01-AN-0370 from Saikarbari adjacent to Halhali-Fatikroy road.

The seized consignment of cough syrup is worth more than Rs. 3 crore in local market. It was reported that the Maruti Van bearing number TR-01-AN-0370 arrived here at the area and was proceeding towards Agartala.

Police arrested the driver of the Maruti van Anup Saha (30) and Sanjoy Sharma (34) both residents of Bishalgarh. 
According to the source, hundreds of smugglers based in Tripura are sending spurious Phensedyl, a cough syrup, with an exceedingly high dose of codeine and other drugs to Bangladesh.

Consumption of alcohol is banned in Muslim majority Bangladesh and thus the demand of alternative means like cough syrup is on the rise in the neighbouring country. Numerous smugglers of both sides of border are engaged in illegal trade of Phensedyl as it gives them huge income, the source added. However it is to be mentioned here that police often detain vehicles and seize thousands of bottles of Phensedyl consignments that are not used in Tripura. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The network is very deep ­rooted and widespread. The Phensedyl smuggling would, in future, become a major deterrent to better Indo-­Bangla relations.