Two men were arrested allegedly with 100 bottles of banned cough syrup which was suspected to be set for Bangladesh and over Rs 14 lakh in cash in North Dinajpur on Monday night.

Sources said Karandighi police had received a tip-off and accordingly intercepted a car near the bus stand at Tungidighi.

“There were three people, including a woman, in the vehicle. The woman managed to escape, but the police arrested two men,” a source said on Tuesday.

The arrested were Rabiul Islam, a resident of Kamartor in Karandighi, and Mobaraq Sheikh from Mojampur near Kaliachak in the neighbouring Malda district.

“We searched the vehicle and found 100 bottles of a banned cough syrup and Rs 14,43,870 in cash. We suspect they are members of a racket that was planning to smuggle the bottles into Bangladesh. The vehicle has been seized,” said a police officer.

The police produced Islam and Sheikh in a court here on Tuesday and pleaded for their custody for five days. The police are in search of the woman.

The source said the cough syrup laced with codeine had a high demand in Bangladesh where it was consumed in large quantities.

“This has made the smuggling of syrup a lucrative option for rackets involved in illegal activities along the India-Bangladesh border,” said the source.