Cachar (Assam) [India], October 10 (ANI): Assam Police have recovered and seized 21,600 bottles of illegal cough syrup worth Rs 2.16 crore in Assam's Cachar district, officials said. Police also apprehended two persons.

Numal Mahatta, Senior Superintendent of Police of Cachar district, said that, based on credible intelligence, Cachar Police on Thursday conducted a special operation against the illegal transportation of a huge quantity of narcotic drugs at Rongpur, under the jurisdiction of Silchar Police Station.

'Police team intercepted one suspected truck at Madhura Point, Rongpur bearing registration number WB-29B-1996, coming from Kolkata via Lumding Silchar road and going towards Tripura and during careful search, recovered 36 iron drums each containing four cartoons of ESKUF cough syrup, having 150 bottles per cartoon, which makes a total of 21,600 bottles of cough syrup from the vehicle,' SSP Numan Mahatta said.

The police official added, 'In this connection, two persons have been apprehended, namely Bapi Halder (45 years old) and Tapash Biswas (42 years old) of West Bengal. Accordingly, seizure was done in the presence of independent witnesses.'

The senior police official further said that the value of the seized narcotics substance in the black market is estimated at about Rs 2.16 crore.

During preliminary investigation, it has come to light that the illegal substances were transported from West Bengal. Further investigation is underway.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also shared the details of the operation and lauded the State police for 'strong steps and a clear message' against drugs.

'@cacharpolice, acting on credible intel, intercepted a vehicle coming from a neighbouring state, at Rongpur and seized 21,600 bottles of cough syrup Worth Rs 2.16 crore. 2 peddlers arrested. @assampolice's strong steps and clear message,' the Chief Minister wrote on X.

Meanwhile, this action comes amid a row over the deaths of 22 children in Madhya Pradesh after the consumption of contaminated cough syrup. (ANI)