Mumbai: One Arrested For Trying To Smuggle Banned Medication

Mumbai, 12th March 2023: The Mumbai Customs Department on Saturday arrested the CEO of a Bangalore-based company for trying to smuggle around ten and a half lakh tablets of banned Tramadol. The accused tried to smuggle Tamol-X-225 calcium carbonate tablets by pretending they were something else. But the pills were seized by the customs department before they were exported. Gudipati Subramaniam (49), a resident of Bangalore and CEO of First Wealth Solutions, was arrested by the officials of the Customs Department on Saturday morning.

According to sources, the customs department seized the suspected pills before they were exported last month. They were recovered from Sahar’s air cargo complex. Investigation revealed that the pills were being sent through M/s First Wealth Solutions in Juba, South Sudan. According to the document, it was declared that there were 21 packets of 1.5 lakh tablets of Tamol-X-225. The customs department seized the pills on February 28 after it was found that the pills were being shipped based on false information. They were sent to a laboratory for testing. The seized pills were found to be Tramadol. Tramadol is a pain reliever. It was banned in India in April 2018 due to its addictive nature.

After the seizure of these pills, the company official was called for questioning. Subramaniam was arrested by the Customs Department after the investigation revealed his involvement. The accused used to look after all the affairs of the company. He allegedly tried to export tramadol tablets by misrepresenting them as calcium carbonate tablets. He was doing this for financial gain. Earlier also he told during the investigation that he had successfully exported Tramadol to foreign countries in a similar manner.

A worldwide ban on the sale of these pills led to a craze for these pills. Due to this, the prices of these tablets increased by three-four times.