BSF seized Phensidil cough syrup worth Rs 6 crore in last 2 years
The Border Security Force (BSF) has seized Phensedyl cough syrup worth more than Rs 6 crore from the West Bengal-Bangladesh border in the last 2-3 years. This consignment was going towards the illegal drug market of India. After the recent deaths of children due to fake cough syrup, a serious question arises that how much quantity of these fake medicines would have reached the market by now.
Every year, BSF seizes many illegal items from the India-Bangladesh borders along West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. These also include Phensedyl cough syrup. This syrup, which was used as a medicine, is now used as an intoxicant.
Phensedyl hidden in pumpkin, bamboo and concrete
Smugglers had adopted very strange methods to transport these drug bottles to the markets. In the first consignment seized by BSF, Phensedyl bottles were hidden inside hollow bamboo. At first glance, they appeared to be normal bamboos, but after thorough investigation, it was discovered that there were hundreds of syrup bottles hidden inside these bamboos.
In the second seizure, another consignment was found inside concrete pillars. When these pillars were broken, BSF personnel found an iron frame filled with Phensedyl bottles inside the pillars. In the third seizure, BSF found bags filled with pumpkins. Upon investigation, it was found that these pumpkins were hollow and were filled with Phensedyl syrup bottles.
Seizure of Rs 6 crore in last 2-3 years
Senior BSF officials said that the main centers of smuggling are North 24 Parganas, Nadia, South 24 Parganas, Siliguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Dinajpur districts. Smuggling routes extend to Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya. The price of each bottle of Phensedyl is between Rs 70 to Rs 110. In the last two years, Rs 6 crore has been seized in South and North Bengal alone.
BJP targeted
BJP leader Rahul Sinha targeted the Bengal government and said, “If Phensedyl worth Rs 6 crore has been seized, then imagine how much of it would have reached the gray market. Be it Bangladeshi people or Bangladeshi medicines, unfortunately Bengal has become number 1 in this matter.”
