Surat, Oct 8: The Surat City’s Special Operations Group (SOG), along with the Food and Drugs Department, in Gujarat, raided two medical stores in the Salabatpura-Mandarwaja area for allegedly selling medicines used for intoxication without doctors’ prescriptions and seized 18,316 tablets and three bottles of codeine syrup valued at Rs 2.75 lakh.

The action was carried out on Wednesday at Smit Sai and Daruwala Shivshakti medical stores located at Halpati Colony on the 80-foot road from Kinnari towards Bhathena.

According to the SOG, the action followed instructions from Surat Police Commissioner Wabang Jamir to identify medical stores allegedly selling intoxicating syrups and tablets without prescriptions, and in violation of regulations.

The police said such medicines could be misused for intoxication, including by young people.

SOG Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajdeepsinh Nakum supervised the operation, while SOG Police Inspector A.S. Sonara formed separate teams to keep watch on medical stores suspected of selling medicines used for intoxication.

The SOG said it received information that intoxicating medicines were being sold without doctors’ prescriptions at two medical stores in the Salabatpura-Mandarwaja area.

Following the information, SOG personnel conducted the raids along with Food and Drugs Inspectors G.U. Upadhyay, Jeelben Gameti and Pinalben Vavaiya.

During inspections, the Food and Drugs Department found stocks of medicines that were allegedly being kept in violation of regulations and could be used for intoxication.

The seized stock comprised 1,440 Pyeevon Sas Plus tablets, 144 Spas Tracenp tablets, 6,920 Spasmo Proxyvon tablets, 750 Apcolam tablets, 3,840 Calic tablets, 5,200 Prehabalin tablets and 20 Pregout Kit tablets. In addition, three bottles of codeine syrup were recovered.

“The total number of tablets seized was 18,316, while the combined value of the seized medicines and syrup was estimated at Rs 2,75,068,” the SOG said.

The Food and Drugs Department has begun further investigation into the stock recovered from both medical stores.

The police said that if the medicines are found to have been kept or sold illegally, legal action will be taken against the licence holders and operators of the two medical stores.

The SOG said the operation was undertaken as part of efforts to identify medical stores involved in the unauthorised sale of medicines that are liable to be misused for intoxication.

Navi Mumbai, Oct 8: Sanjay Kantu Yadav, a 38-year-old man, died in police custody in Navi Mumbai. Yadav was arrested by the Navi Mumbai International Airport Police in connection with a case. He lived in Ananta Tower in Ulwe Sector 6 and was originally from Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh. Following his arrest, a court remanded him in police custody.

According to police, Yadav was lodged in the lock-up at the NRI Sagari Police Station in Navi Mumbai on October 8. At the time, the lock-up staff noticed him clenching his fists and flexing his arms and legs. When his condition deteriorated, police officers immediately rushed him to Meenatai Thackeray Hospital in Nerul, where he was declared dead during treatment.

Police said Yadav had undergone a medical examination at Panvel Rural Hospital before his arrest. He did not report any health problems when he was produced before the court. Even during a medical examination conducted on October 6, he did not report any illness or health-related complaints.

Senior police officials have been informed about the incident. A inquest report is being conducted through videography in the presence of the Belapur First Class Judicial Magistrate, panch witnesses and the deceased man’s family members.

The body is being sent to J.J. Hospital in Mumbai for a post-mortem examination. Police said further legal proceedings are underway.

However, this is not the first such incident in Maharashtra.

Earlier, on September 22, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Maharashtra Police was investigating the death of a 35-year-old man who died while in the custody of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.

The deceased, Imran Shaikh, had come to the city from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in search of employment.

According to Central Railway officials, Shaikh had made enquiries about trains bound for Khandwa at the main RPF post at CSMT on September 20.

Officials said he appeared agitated and claimed that people were trying to kill him. They said Shaikh subsequently became aggressive and attacked RPF Sub-Inspector Aniket. He also inflicted injuries on himself, according to officials.

New Delhi, Oct 8: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has started investigating the violence that broke out during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest in the national capital in July and has registered a case under relevant sections of the law, according to sources on Thursday.

The Crime Branch sources said the probe will focus on the role of those responsible for the violence that broke out in New Delhi on July 20.

The Crime Branch will specifically investigate whether the violence was “premeditated” or whether “criminal elements” entered the protest sites when the CJP called for a march to Parliament.

On the directions of the Supreme Court, Delhi Police has already cancelled 17 FIRs related to the violence.

The Crime Branch will now specifically probe the violence, which involved assaults on police personnel, vandalism and destruction of public property, including police vehicles.

On July 20, a large number of protesters gathered in and around Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Around 30,000 people took to the streets and attempted to march toward Parliament demanding action against the paper leaks and other examination-related irregularities.

As the situation deteriorated, clashes broke out between the police and the protesters. The police used force, leading to widespread criticism.

Following this incident, the police’s intelligence system was reviewed. Officials felt that they lacked adequate and accurate prior input regarding the number of protesters, their mobilisation, and the role of various organisations.

Therefore, the Delhi Police Special Branch was instructed to develop more detailed and usable intelligence inputs, rather than simply gathering information about the location of the protest and estimated crowd.

However, in September, the Supreme Court quashed FIRs registered against student protesters in Delhi, Bihar, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Assam in connection with protests held between July 20 and 25, and directed that similar cases registered across the country will not be pursued or investigated.