Illegal codeine cough syrup racket busted in Hyderabad; 3 held, 2 pharmacies shut
Hyderabad: A joint operation conducted by the Prohibition and Excise Department and the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, on April 21, 2025, has uncovered an illegal network involved in the diversion and sale of codeine-based cough syrups in Hyderabad. The raid led to the arrest of three individuals and the cancellation of licences for two medical shops.
The operation began when the Prohibition and Excise Enforcement team from Ranga Reddy district apprehended two individuals, Vaibhav Kulakarni and Manupati Bhanu Prakash, in Ramanthapur for illegal possession of 1.05 kg of dry ganja. During interrogation, the duo revealed that a woman in the Lalapet area was supplying codeine phosphate syrup.
Acting on this tip, authorities intercepted a woman near Moulali Bridge who was found carrying 13 bottles of codeine phosphate syrup on a two-wheeler. Identified as Nalla Rajini, she failed to produce a valid prescription or drug licence and admitted to procuring the syrup from Generic World Medical Shop in Vidyanagar.
Following this, a decoy operation was carried out at the pharmacy. The vendor sold three bottles of syrup without issuing a bill or verifying a prescription. Subsequent inspection revealed 80 bottles of codeine phosphate syrup in stock and multiple violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, including selling prescription drugs without authorization and failing to maintain mandatory records.
Further investigation traced the source of the syrups to Himalaya Pharma, located in Ghori Nagar Colony, Old Bowenpally. The shop, operated by a relative of the Generic World licensee, was also found to be selling codeine syrup without prescriptions and had failed to maintain proper records. Documents recovered during the raid confirmed sales to Generic World Medical Shop.
The three individuals arrested in connection with the case are Nalla Rajini, Anmol Kumar Singhal (licensee of Generic World Medical Shop), and Dinesh Kumar Goyal (licensee of Himalaya Pharma). In response to the violations, the DCA has cancelled the drug licences of both pharmacies.
A case has been registered under at the Malakjgiri Prohibition and Excise Station under Section 8(c) read with Section 20(b) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Authorities confirmed that further investigation is underway and that strict action will be taken against all involved.
The operation was led by officers from both the Prohibition and Excise Department and the Drugs Control Administration, including Assistant Excise Superintendent J. Jeevan Kiran and Assistant Directors D. Saritha and Dr. K. Prabhakar.
Director General of Drugs Control Administration and Prohibition and Excise, V.B. Kamalasan Reddy, urged the public to report any suspicious drug-related activities through the toll-free number 1800-599-6969, operational from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on working days.
A joint operation by the Prohibition & Excise Department and the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, uncovered an illegal network involved in the diversion and sale of codeine-based cough syrups in Hyderabad. Three people were arrested, including a woman caught with 13… pic.twitter.com/G6TAl8cPpd
— Hyderabad Mail (@Hyderabad_Mail) April 22, 2025
