The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Lucknow zone, has seized a huge cache of psychotropic drugs and arrested six people for their involvement in drugs smuggling from across the India-Nepal border.
The arrests were made at Rupaidiha of Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district, officials said.
The drugs were seized in an operation relating to curbing of illegal diversion of narcotics and psychotropic substances across the border.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the NCB officials seized the psychotropic drugs and narcotics along with a huge amount of cash from various medical stores and other unauthorised premises.
According to a statement issued by the NCB, a total of 4,237 tablets containing Alprazolam, 2,665 tablets containing Nitrazepam, 5,530 tablets of Tramadol and Diazepam injection and Pentazocine injection and 4,471 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup worth Rs 30 lakh were recovered from six premises, four of which were medical stores.
Unaccounted cash currency of Rs 1,75,400 and 59,000 Nepali rupees were also seized in this operation.
The arrested have been identified as Anil Kumar Mishra, Govind Kumar Verma, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Mohd Ghalib, Shiv Kishor Vishwakarma and Radhe Shyam Verma.
All of them are residents of Bahraich district.
Officials said that the NCB, Lucknow Zone had been receiving the information of diversion and trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic medicines in the bordering areas of India and Nepal.
In view of the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the NCB has deployed its teams in the field to develop intelligence related to drug trafficking and conduct operations and seizures based on intelligence.
Teams on the India-Nepal border are keeping a close watch on smuggling of drugs in poll-bound areas.