Three held for possession and supply of Oxytocin drug

Mumbai Police's Crime Branch on Wednesday arrested three men on charges of manufacturing and supplying banned drug Oxytocin in the western suburb of Andheri, an official said.

The police first arrested two of them, Naajeeb Khotal (37) and Anis Khande (44), and seized 1,000 bottles of Oxytocin, a chemical drug.

On interrogating the duo, the police found the drug was being sourced from the third accused, Masi Sadik, who would manufacture it at a godown in Thane district's Kalyan area, the official said.

A Crime Branch team seized another 500 litres of the drug from Sadik's godown, an official said.

"On Monday, one of our officers received a tip-off that a vehicle, carrying bottles of Oxytocin, will be making a delivery at a diary farm near Andheri on Wednesday," he said.

A team of officers from the Food and Drug Administration department (FDA) and officials from the Powai police station intercepted the suspected vehicle and seized 1,000 bottles of Oxytocin, the officer said.

A banned drug, Oxytocin is injected into lactating cows and buffaloes to unnaturally increase the production of milk. The drug is known to cause serious health hazards.

An FIR has been registered against the accused at the Powai police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the FDA Act.