Bengal: 2,000 bottles of banned cough syrup seized, three arrested

Around 2,000 bottles of banned cough syrup Phensedyl were seized and three people were arrested on Tuesday in West Bengal's Nadia district which borders Bangladesh, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted two vehicles in Natunpara in Bhimpur police station area and seized the cough syrup bottles, while arresting the occupants, a police officer said.

The arrested persons are residents of Nadia's Karimpur, which is close to the India-Bangladesh border.

Phensedyl contains codeine, which is a narcotic drug that causes addiction when used in large quantities over a period of time. The cough syrup is used as an intoxicant in Bangladesh as an alternative to alcohol.