In a major crackdown on the illegal sale of drugs, health officials in Punjab’s Ajnala seized a large quantity of Pregabalin, a banned substance, from a local medical store. Acting on a tip-off, a team led by Drug Inspector Sukhdeep Singh raided Sarpal Medical Hall and confiscated 2,800 tablets of Pregabalin (300mg) and 1,500 tablets (150mg), valued at Rs 98,000.
The store’s owner, Gaurav Sarpal, failed to provide any purchase bills or sales records for the banned drugs. In light of rising concerns about drug misuse, the District Magistrate had previously banned the sale of Pregabalin formulations over 75mg under Section 163 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Following the raid, a case has been registered against Sarpal for violating the district’s orders. This raid comes just days after a similar seizure in Amritsar’s Katra Sher Singh market, where Pregabalin and other drugs worth Rs 14.80 lakh were confiscated from Maa Chintpurni Pharmaceuticals. The authorities continue their crackdown on illegal drug sales across the state to safeguard public health.