The police said the "pharmacist" at the shop was illegally selling narcotics at exorbitant prices to drug addicts without prescriptions.
The police have registered against accused persons vide under section 8 of NDPS ACt at Begumpet Police station. (Supplied)
The Telangana Police, in collaboration with the Drug Control Administration (DCA), conducted a raid at a medical shop in Hyderabad on Sunday, 10 March.
During the operation at Mahaveer Medical Shop in the Begumpet area, authorities seized 11 different types of medicines and apprehended three individuals.
The police said there were three reasons to seize the products and arrest the persons.
They said that the person at the shop, without a pharmacist’s licence, was illegally selling narcotic drugs at exorbitant prices to drug addicts without prescriptions from doctors.
The police told South First that they seized 230 bottles of the cough syrup Magnatuss-T and tablets and injections of Tramadol Hydrochloride.
“Doctors prescribe Magnatuss-T. It costs over ₹100. However, it has to be sold by a licensed pharmacist only on a prescription from a doctor,” said a police officer.
“But, in this case, the pharmacist who had the licence had given it to someone else to run the shop. And this person, Mutha Kishore Kumar, had been running the shop illegally and selling these scheduled medicines,” explained the police officer.
The police said they successfully confiscated a significant quantity of illicit substances during their operation.
These, they said, included 230 bottles of Magnatuss-T Cough Syrup (Codeine Phosphate & Triprolidine Hydrochloride Syrup), 70 injections of Tramasure-100 (Tramadol Hydrochloride Injection), 570 capsules of Spasmo-Proxyvon Plus (Dicyclomine Hydrochloride, Tramadol Hydrochloride & Acetaminophen), 60 tablets of Nitravet (Nitrazepam Tablets IP 10 mg), 30 tablets each of Ultra King (Tramadol Hydrochloride Acetaminophen Tablets USP), Zlofresh 10 mg (Zolpidem Tartrate Tablets IP 10 mg), Restyl 5 mg (Alprazolam IP 0.5 mg), Etizola Tablets (Etizolam Tablets IP), Cloba 5 (Clobazam Tablets IP 5 mg), Lonazep 0.25 (Clonazepam Tablets IP), and Librium-10 (Chlordiazepoxide Tablets IP).
The seizure underscores the extensive and illegal distribution of various controlled substances in the area.
Magnatuss-T cough syrup contains codeine, and is a medication used to relieve mild to moderate pain and reduce coughing. It belongs to a class of medications called opiate (narcotic) analgesics and is often combined with other medications like acetaminophen or aspirin.
Codeine cough syrup, which contains codeine as its main ingredient, has been abused for its narcotic effects, leading to dangerous consequences such as euphoria, sedation, memory loss, and addiction.
Meanwhile, Tramadol Hydrochloride is another opioid pain reliever. Tramadol, due to its opioid properties, carries risks of tolerance, dependence, abuse, overdose, respiratory depression, and even death if misused or taken in high doses.
The police have apprehended Mutha Kishore Kumar (58), Muslam Raju (39), and Ireni Ramesh Goud (30).
However, Bolisetty Avinash — the licence holder of Mahaveer Medical Shop — is currently absconding and is wanted in connection with the case.
The accused, Mutha Kishore Kumar, a resident of Marredpally, has been in the medical field for the past two decades.
Operating the Mahaveer Medical Shop in Rasoolpura and Secunderabad, he lacked the necessary qualifications and knowledge in the medical domain, said the police.
“Although registered under Avinash Bollineni’s name, the shop is actually managed by Kishore Kumar,” said the cops.
In a rather illicit operation, Kishore Kumar was said to be selling Scheduled H1 Drugs, including Nitravet, to customers without a doctor’s prescription at exorbitant prices.
His assistant Muslam Raju allegedly aided him in catering to drug addicts.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that Kishore Kumar was procuring these narcotics through Ramesh Goud, a medical representative, said the police.
The cops said that the plot thickened when Ramesh Goud, upon being arrested, confessed to supplying materials to Kishore Kumar using duplicate bills.
Notably, he recently acquired 260 bottles of Magnatuss-T — a cough syrup containing Codeine Phosphate and Triprolidine Hydrochloride — from PS Global Agency, intending to yield substantial profits through his association with Kishore Kumar.
The police have registered a case against the accused persons under Section 8 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the Begumpet Police Station.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj)
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