In two separate crackdowns on the illegal trade in narcotic medicines, police and the Drug Control Department seized more than 38,000 banned tablets and capsules and arrested four people in Sirsa district on Wednesday.

In the first operation, a joint team from CIA Ellenabad and the Drug Control Department raided a house in Pratap Nagar village and recovered 23,510 Tapentadol tablets and 10,290 Pregabalin capsules, valued at around Rs 6.5 lakh. The accused, Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Pratap Nagar, was arrested.

Superintendent of Police Deepak Saharan said police had received information that the accused, who runs a medical store in Sant Nagar, was allegedly supplying narcotic medicines to youths from his house. Acting on the tip-off, the team searched the premises and recovered the banned medicines. The accused and the seized drugs were handed over to the Drug Inspector for further legal action.

In a separate raid, CIA Sirsa police recovered 3,300 Tapentadol tablets and 1,800 Pregabalin capsules from a confectionery shop on Begu Road. Three people were arrested, including the shop owner, Krishan Kumar of Kalyan Nagar in Sirsa, and Paras and Sunny, both residents of Sangaria in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district.

Police said the raid was carried out after receiving information that the shop was allegedly being used as a front to sell banned medicines. Drug Inspector Sunil Kumar was called to the scene, and the accused, along with the recovered medicines, were handed over to the Drug Control Department for further legal action.