Psychotropic drugs worth ₹4.5L seized from godown

ILLEGAL MEDICINES WERE BEING KEPT IN THE GODOWN WITHOUT ANY LICENCE

JALANDHAR: A joint team of health and police officials seized over one lakh psychotropic drug tablets without purchase records from a chemist shop in the Phagwara Gate area and an unlicensed godown of owner of the same shop in the Monika Tower near the Milap Chowk here on Saturday.

The team comprised zonal licensing authority (ZLA) Karun Sachdev, drug inspectors Amarjeet Singh and Anupama Kalia, dealing assistant Dinesh Kumar and assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Sarbjeet Rai.

ZLA Sachdev said that during the raid in the Monika Tower godown, it was found that illegal medicines were being kept there without any authority.

“We seized 1,07,011 drug tablets, including alprazolam and chlordiazepoxide, 1,500 tramadol injections, 29,000 capsules and 109 unlabelled bottles worth ₹4.5 lakh as the owner failed to present any sale record and any licence,” Sachdev said.

Commissioner of police Praveen Kumar Sinha said shopowner Puneet Kapahi, who also owned the godown, of the Maharaja Garden locality of the city was arrested and a case under sections 22, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act registered against him.

ZLA Karun Sachdev said the health department will also initiate action against him under various sections Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 in the recovery of medicines from the shop. He also stated that the report about the shop would be sent to higher authorities in Chandigarh for action.