194 Phensedyl cough syrup bottles seized along India-Bangladesh border, 1 arrested

A total of 194 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup were seized along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Malda district and one person was arrested in this connection, a BSF spokesperson said on Saturday.

A total of 194 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup were seized along the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal's Malda district and one person was arrested in this connection, a BSF spokesperson said on Saturday. During patrolling on Friday night, BSF personnel noticed movement along a section of the international border.

When the troops challenged the people suspecting them to be smugglers, 8-10 men armed with sharp weapons encircled the personnel, BSF South Bengal Frontier spokesperson Rabi Ranjan said. A BSF personnel fired a round in the air, following which the smugglers fled the spot leaving behind the goods.

The troops chased the smugglers and succeeded in nabbing one of them while the remaining managed to escape, he said. The apprehended person has been identified as Biplab Mandal, a resident of Kaliachak area in Malda district. As many as 194 bottles of Phensedyl cough syrup were seized from the load left behind by the smugglers, Ranjan said.

The nabbed person and the seized goods have been handed over to the police on Saturday, he added. Phensedyl is a codeine-based cough syrup abused as an intoxicant in Bangladesh and some northeastern states where liquor consumption is prohibited.