REWA: In a major crackdown on illegal drugs, police seized a large consignment of banned Corex syrup in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district during a late-night operation, officials said on Monday.
Acting on a tip-off about the consignment in Baikunthpur, approximately 35 km from Rewa's district headquarters, police launched an operation and cordoned off the suspected delivery point.
While inspecting vehicles at a junction, the police team spotted two luxury cars suspected of carrying the contraband. On noticing the police presence, the smugglers abandoned their vehicles and managed to escape.
Upon searching the vehicles, police recovered approximately 1, 500 bottles of Corex syrup.
"In our ongoing crackdown on illegal drugs, we have seized a significant consignment of banned Corex syrup in Baikunthpur, " Rewa Superintendent of Police (SP) Anil Sonkar said.
The seizure comes a day after a police team was attacked by a group of criminals involved in Corex smuggling in the Hanumana area, which borders Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur district. The consignment was reportedly being transported from Banaras via Hanumana to Rewa.
Rewa district, which shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh on multiple sides, has become a hotspot for Corex smuggling.
Two months ago, Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who hails from Rewa, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to seek cooperation from UP police in cracking down on smuggling operations.
"Illegal weapons, drugs, and Corex syrup are routinely smuggled into Rewa from the UP border, " a senior police official said.
The crackdown follows a recent mob attack on a police team in Mauganj, a district within the Rewa division. The incident resulted in the death of an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) and a civilian, raising questions about law enforcement in the region.
In response, the Madhya Pradesh government transferred the Mauganj district collector and SP on Friday.
Several other senior police officials, including the Inspector General (IG) of the Rewa range, were also transferred late Sunday night.