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Lucknow, Nov 10 (IANS) The Special Task Force (STF) has busted a large-scale racket involved in illegal manufacturing and smuggling of oxytocin injections and arrested two people from Ujriyaon village in Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow. Police gave this information on Monday.
The arrests were made after a raid at a house in Ujriyaon village where the illegal operation was being run. According to STF officials, one of the arrested persons is the kingpin of the racket.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (STF) Deepak Singh said that poisonous oxytocin injections were being produced and distributed in Lucknow, surrounding districts and other states including Bihar and Delhi for several months.
“The gang members imported the raw powder from China and mixed it with phenol, urea, salt, vinegar and color to prepare the injections,” Singh said.
He said that the value of the seized injections was estimated to be around Rs 1 crore.
The arrested accused have been identified as Qayyum Ali, resident of Malakpur village of Baraut area of Baghpat district and his associate Mohammad Ibrahim, resident of Rasool ward Madeyganj Kadam.
Police said that the house where the injections were being made is located in the same area.
Based on intelligence, STF Inspector Harish Chauhan’s team conducted surveillance and raided the location on Sunday afternoon and arrested Qayoom and Ibrahim.
Several oxytocin injections and raw materials used in their production were recovered from the site.
According to DSP Singh, Qayyum told during interrogation that the injection powder was brought from China through courier, which first reached Loni Katra in Ghaziabad and was later delivered to Lucknow.
The prepared injections were then supplied to different states through a network of agents, who sold them to dairies, vegetable vendors and farmers.
Animals were given injections to boost milk production, while some farmers reportedly used chemical-laced water to wash vegetables, making them look fresh and shiny to fetch higher prices.
Singh warned that consuming milk or vegetables treated with oxytocin could lead to serious health problems, including cancer and other chronic diseases.
Samples of the recovered material have been sent to the laboratory for testing.
During the raid, the STF seized 1,018 vials of oxytocin injection (180 ml each), 70 liters of oxytocin solution (14 cans of five liters each), 55 liters of phenol, 27 liters of vinegar, 16,500 empty vials, nine cap sealers, 3,000 blue aluminum caps, 3,000 red aluminum caps, 2,500 rubber caps, Recovered 19 kg. Salt, a PhonePe scanner, three mobile phones and Rs 790 in cash.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. More information is awaited.
–IANS
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