A Bareilly-based medical supply firm has been booked for allegedly selling codeine-based cough syrup and other narcotic medicines illegally, officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) said on Wednesday.
During an inspection, the proprietor of Extreme Health Solutions in Bareilly allegedly failed to provide records of the sale and purchase of the controlled medicines, prompting the FSDA to lodge a case, they said.
FSDA inspector Rajesh Kumar said he filed an FIR against the firm's proprietor, identified as Rahul Sabharwal of Rajendra Nagar, at the Kotwali police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to the FSDA, several traders in Bareilly are suspected of being involved in large-scale illegal trade of narcotic medicines. Recent raids have uncovered "serious irregularities", officials said.
As part of an ongoing campaign to curb the illegal sale of codeine-based cough syrup, the FSDA conducted an intensive inspection of the establishment last month. During the check, the proprietor claimed to have purchased 62,687 bottles of Rexley-T codeine syrup worth around Rs 96.67 lakh, but was unable to produce any sale invoices.
"This clearly indicated that the cough syrup was sold in the market illegally for higher profit," Kumar said.
The proprietor also informed inspectors that a portion of the stock was sold to a medical firm in Pilibhit, for which he received online payment, the FSDA added.
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