New Delhi, May 24 (PTI) Delhi Police has busted a drug syndicate supplying pharmaceutical-based narcotics in and around Delhi University's North Campus with the arrest of five people, an official said on Saturday.

The accused have been identified as Manish Bhatle (26), his maternal uncle Devender (57), Nikhil alias Gunnu (28), Ankit Gupta (40) and Kapil (28), the official said.

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He added that police recovered 2,360 Tramadol-based capsules along with 135 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup worth over Rs 1 lakh in the international market.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Crime, Apoorva Gupta, said the "crackdown follows a string of tip-offs indicating that pharmaceutical drugs were being circulated illegally in the North Campus area".

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"Police said that the drugs were being sold without any medical prescription or billing," she added.

A case was registered on May 12 under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The DCP said that the operation began with the arrest of Manish, who was intercepted near Shri Ram Institute on the university road on May 12.

He was found carrying two plastic sacks containing 10 boxes of Tramadol capsules (2,360 capsules) and 120 bottles of codeine syrup. A Drug Control Department officer confirmed that the seized drugs were illegal, she added.

Bhatle revealed during questioning that he procured the narcotics from Devender (57), who owns a local chemist shop in Malka Ganj. Devender was subsequently arrested but no fresh contraband was recovered from his premises, the DCP said.

Further disclosures led to the arrest of Nikhil, a local mediator who supplied the capsules to Devender. Nikhil, in turn, pointed the police to Ankit, a wholesaler and owner of Ravi Medicare in GT Karnal Road Industrial Area. At Ankit's godown, 15 additional bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized, she added.

The supply chain continued to unfold as Ankit disclosed the name of Kapil, a medical representative working with a reputed pharma company, as another key link. Kapil was arrested on May 15 but no contraband was recovered from his residence. He allegedly sourced the drugs from an associate named Rakesh, who is currently absconding, the DCP said.

"This was a classic top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top operation. We have identified and neutralised the entire supply chain, from the wholesaler and medical representative to the last-mile distributor," she added.

The arrested individuals reportedly exploited gaps in pharmaceutical regulation to divert prescription drugs meant for legitimate use into the illicit market.

Police also recovered five mobile phones from the accused which are being examined for further leads.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)