Codeine scam: Chargesheet filed against 10, including kingpin’s dad

Varanasi: Sarnath police have filed a chargesheet against 10 accused, including jailed Bhola Prasad, father of kingpin Shubham Jaiswal, in a codeine cough syrup smuggling case. Rohania police also recently submitted a chargesheet in the case.ADCP Varuna Neetu Kadian on Monday said Sarnath police filed the chargesheet against 10 accused, including Bhola Prasad, Vishnu Kumar Pandey, Lokesh Agrawal, Prateek Kumar, Aakash Pathak of Varanasi, and Sureshchandra Gupta, Faizur Rahman, Satyendra Kumar Sahu and Mohammad Saif of Prayagraj, and Vinod Agrawal of Kanpur. Shubham, the mastermind of the syndicate, is still absconding. During the investigation, police recovered crucial evidence, including a cheque book, PD Pharma's stamp, a letter pad, 120 signed bills, an ATM card, a laptop, and mobile phones. Based on these documents, the involvement of several people, including businessmen from Kanpur and Prayagraj, came to light.The investigators said that after scrutinising multiple pieces of evidence, including e-way bills, bank statements, cash deposit slips, bank CCTV footage, income tax returns, call detail records (CDR), forensic reports of codeine-containing cough syrup, reports from pharmaceutical companies, and toll plaza data, charges were framed against the accused. Statements of bank officials and other persons concerned were also included in the investigation. Multiple cases are lodged with Kotwali, Rohania, and Sarnath police stations in connection with the codeine cough syrup smuggling racket. Officials said chargesheets have been filed in the Rohania and Sarnath cases, with the probe ongoing in others.Properties worth over Rs 45 crore of Shubham's father, who is currently lodged in jail following his arrest from Kolkata airport in Nov 2025, and their close aide Manoj Yadav have already been forfeited.Uttar Pradesh authorities have launched a major crackdown against the alleged illegal stocking and supply of the regulated codeine-based syrup within and outside the state, with officials estimating the illicit trade runs into hundreds of crores. Cough syrup containing codeine is used as an intoxicant and is in high demand in West Bengal and Bangladesh, making its smuggling highly profitable.