India, Dec. 9 -- LUCKNOW The UP government on Tuesday constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by inspector-general of police (law and order) LR Kumar to conduct a coordinated, multi-agency probe into the illegal sale, storage and organised trafficking of codeine-based cough syrups. The decision comes amid mounting evidence of a large-scale diversion racket operating across multiple districts in the state, an official statement said.

Senior superintendent of police, STF, Sushil Ghule Chandrabhanu, and assistant commissioner (headquarters), Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, Akhilesh Kumar Jain, have been named as members, stated an order issued by the home department.

The order notes that several FIRs...