Assam: 5 arrested over Rs 10 crore medicine theft in Guwahati, entire consignment recovered

Five men have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of medicines worth Rs 10 crore from a warehouse in Guwahati, with police recovering 795 cartons containing 131 different medicine products from Nalbari district, Assam, on Saturday, October 24.

The theft took place at a warehouse on Jatin Tamuli Path in the Sarusajai area of Guwahati. The incident came to light when the warehouse reopened after the Durga Puja holidays, following which an East Guwahati Police District (EGPD) team from Basistha police station launched an investigation.

During the investigation, police traced the stolen consignment to Shilikhabari in Balikaria, Nalbari district. A police team subsequently conducted a late-night operation and arrested five men allegedly linked to the theft.

The arrested men have been identified as Apurba Das, 37, a resident of Pakarkona in Hajo; Purnananda Das, 25, Rahul Yadav, 23, and Utpal Baruah, 24, all residents of Ganeshpara in Fatasil Ambari; and Nibaran Barman, 44, of Balikaria in Nalbari.

According to the police, Barman allegedly acted as the receiver of the stolen medicines, while the other four men were arrested in connection with the theft.

Police recovered and seized 795 cartons of medicines comprising 131 distinct products from Nalbari. Six digital video recorder (DVR) units linked to the warehouse's CCTV surveillance system were also reported stolen during the incident.

Legal action has been initiated in the case, and further investigation is underway to establish the circumstances of the theft and the roles of the accused.

Police have not disclosed further details about how the medicines were removed from the warehouse or whether anyone else was involved in the alleged theft.