Staff Reporter

Shillong, Oct 1: A mini factory manufacturing spurious cough syrup for illegal sale to Bangladesh was busted by the State police even as three including the owner have been arrested yesterday.

East Jaintia Hills district police chief Jagpal Singh Dhanoa said acting on credible source information, a person by the name of Altaf Hussain was apprehended by Khliehriat police and from his go down over 9,883 bottles of phensedyl were recovered.

A case was registered at Khliehriat police station.

On the leading of Hussain, the main accused Ratan Dkhar, a resident of Ummulong was arrested. He confessed to his role of having a mini factory at the basement of his residence for the manufacture of spurious cough syrup and branding it as Phensedyl for illegal sale to Bangladesh, the SP said.

From his house, 600 bottles of Elcodyl cough syrup ( each of 100ml), 10 bottles of flavouring agent (500 ml each), 11 bottles of food colour (1 kg each), 10 kg of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride ( ingredient of Phensedyl), 1 kg of Chlorphenirame Maleato ( ingredient of Phensedyl), 7 books on Pharmacology and Drug preparations, 34  bottles of Phensedyl(100ml), 780 Empty 100ml bottles of Phensedyl, 46 cartons with Phensedyl already marked, 1 carton of bottle caps, 1 plastic of Phensedyl labels, 1 bottling machine, 2 sophisticated machines for drug preparation and filtration and cash Rs 11,790 were recovered.

Dkhar also revealed that he has two accomplices from Assam. An accomplice of Altaf, Shaheen who helped in transportation of the cough syrup towards Assam has also been arrested, Dhanoa said.