Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Imphal: Security forces seized 8,320 bottles of codeine-laced cough syrup from a riverbank in Manipur's Imphal West district on October 7. The stash filled 52 boxes. Officers linked the recovery to the arrests of three individuals taken into custody on October 4 across Imphal East and Imphal West.
Police identified Nongthombam Jamesjit as the primary target. He owns a pharmacy at Naoremthong Bazar in Imphal West. Officers arrested Jamesjit in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and brought him in for questioning. The ongoing probe centers on the illegal supply and distribution of these regulated drugs.
India restricts these formulations under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Unauthorized sales or possession also trigger charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Investigators are working to track the origin and intended destination of the supply. Police said the seizure and arrests were part of an ongoing probe into the supply and distribution of codeine-based cough syrup in Manipur.
Updated at 8th October 2026 at 9:47am
The case began with an FIR filed at the Porompat Police Station. Investigators identified the suspect as Nongthombam Jamesjit, also known as Thoi, who operates the Kangla Drugs and Surgical Pharmacy. Court officials in Gujarat granted Manipur Police four days of transit remand to bring him back for questioning.
Authorities pinpointed the riverbank cache after tips from one of the initial three detainees. The recovery operation involved a joint team of state police, central security forces, and members of YADAM, a local voluntary organization. The confiscated stash consisted specifically of CHOCO+ brand cough syrup.
Updated at 8th October 2026 at 2:00pm
The scope of the bust goes beyond the riverbank find. Police initially collared John Longjam, Longjam Wanglen, and Ningthoujam Henching in an operation spanning Ningthem Pukhri Mapal and Singjamei Mayengbam Leikai on October 4. That raid turned up 318 bottles of CHOCO+ and landed authorities a white Mahindra XUV, a blue TVS Jupiter scooter, and three mobile phones.
These seizures push the total haul for the investigation to 8,638 bottles. Each bottle contains 10 mg of Codeine Phosphate. Jamesjit was pinched in Gujarat on October 6, two days earlier than initial reports suggested.
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