DW BUREAU / Chandigarh In one of the biggest crackdowns on the illegal manufacture-diversion-supply of pharmaceutical opioids in the country, Punjab Police has arrested Krishan Kumar Arora alias Clovidol Badshah and his son Gaurav Arora of Neutec Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Narela, Delhi. The father-son duo were one of the biggest manufacturers and suppliers of different types of pharmaceutical opioids in the country and were illegally supplying/diverting 18-20 crore tablets, capsules and syrups, worth around Rs 70-80 crore across 17 states of the country every month through various drug supply gangs, including Mathura gang and Agra gang, which were busted recently by the Punjab Police, said Dinkar Gupta, DGP Punjab. He informed that the infamous duo were the masterminds of the 'pharma drug cartel' which controls a major share (almost 60-70 per cent) of the total illegal pharma opioid drug trade. Both were arrested from Rajouri Garden in Delhi on August 27 by a Barnala Police Team, comprising Dr Pragya Jain, IPS, ASP Mehal Kalan and Baljit Singh I/C CIA, working under the supervision of SSP Barnala Sandeep Goel. The DGP further said that the entire network began to unravel with busting of Mathura gang and Agra gang by the Barnala Police starting February 2020 followed up by major seizures and arrests in May and July 2020 numbering more than 73 lakh intoxicant tablets/capsules/syrups, Rs 2.26 crore drug money proceeds and arrest of 36 accused persons from 5 states till now, said the DGP Punjab. Sustained and concerted investigations led to the unmasking of the backward and forward linkages of the unholy nexus and further revealed the involvement of various Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, including Neutec Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd, Narela, Delhi, which is one of the biggest manufacturers of NRx (prescription) drugs such as Clovidol 100 SR, Trio SR, Simplex C+, Simplex +, Tridol, Foridol, Prozolam, Alprazolam, etc. These drugs are extensively abused as pharma opioids by drug addicts all over the country, said Dinkar Gupta. Dinkar Gupta revealed that ivestigation into their modus operandi revealed that Krishan Arora and Gaurav Arora, pretty much the biggest fish of the pharma opioid trade. They were clandestinely manufacturing pharma drugs over and above the sanctioned quota, and had created wholesale/retail pharmaceutical firms in connivance with his many associates with the sole purpose of diverting these pharmaceutical opioids into illegal drug by falsely reflecting the sale and purchase of pharmaceutical opioids. (editor@dailyworld.in)