Crackdown on Codeine Chaos: Kanpur's Dark Medicine Trade Unveiled

The Kanpur Crime Branch, with Hanumant Vihar police, arrested a medical store owner for illegally trading codeine-based syrup, amid a probe into wider illegal sales. Vishal Singh Sisodiya, on the run since November, was caught with evidence of massive unrecorded sales and potential drug diversion.

Kanpur's Crime Branch, working alongside Hanumant Vihar police, apprehended a medical store owner accused of engaging in the illegal sales of codeine-based cough syrup, as revealed by a senior official on Tuesday.

The arrest of Vishal Singh Sisodiya (23), owner of M/s Sisodiya Medicine House, comes amidst a broader investigation by Uttar Pradesh authorities into the alleged illegal trade and stockpiling of codeine syrups, an operation estimated to be worth hundreds of crores and extending beyond state borders.

Sisodiya had been evading authorities for nearly four months until his arrest on Tuesday, after a case was filed on November 5 based on a drug inspector's complaint. Investigations revealed Sisodiya's unlawful procurement and sale of a significant amount of restricted codeine syrup, FancyPic-T, without proper records, indicative of a large-scale diversion into illegal channels.

(With inputs from agencies.)