One arrested with 882 bottles of banned cough syrup in city

One person has been arrested with 882 bottles of banned cough syrup in central Kolkata, police said on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided a house in New Market area on Wednesday night and nabbed the accused with 882 bottles of the cough syrup that contained 176.4 gram of codeine phosphate, an opium derivative which is a narcotic drug, a police officer said.

"The abuse of codeine is rampant among drug addicts which is why it is banned in India," the officer said. The accused, a resident of Howrah district, has been arrested and booked under the NDPS Act, he added.