Varanasi Police freezes Rs 31 crore assets in cough syrup case

According to Neetu Kadyan, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Varuna Zone, the assets were frozen under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The case was registered against Bhola Jaiswal, his son Shubham Jaiswal, and others in November last year, after a large quantity of cough syrup was recovered from their possession. The police investigation revealed that Bhola Jaiswal was the mastermind behind the illicit trade. The ADCP stated that eight immovable assets owned by Bhola Jaiswal have been identified and frozen as part of the action taken under Section 68(f) of the NDPS Act.

Speaking to ANI, ADCP Kadyan said, "A case was registered against Shubham Jaiswal's father Bhola Jaiswal, and 2-3 others, where large quantities of cough syrup were recovered in November last year. As part of that, 8 immovable assets owned by Bhola Jaiswal have been identified and frozen as part of action taken under the NDPS 68(f)... The value of these properties is nearly Rs 31 crores."

She added that these properties would be auctioned if Bhola Jaiswal is unable to represent competently during court proceedings within 30 days.

On December 22, 2025, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the UP Police, probing the codeine cough syrup smuggling case, also submitted its report to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, with findings pointing to a cross-border syndicate involving the diversion of pharmaceutical consignments, hawala transactions, and links to criminal networks.

According to the SIT report, the alleged kingpin of the racket, Vibhor Rana, was granted a licence in 2016. The report claims that licences to the firms involved in the manufacture and distribution of the cough syrup were issued during the tenure of the previous Samajwadi Party government led by Akhilesh Yadav.

The SIT stated that enforcement action against madrasas near the Nepal border directly affected smuggling operations, prompting Vibhor and his associates to temporarily halt cross-border trafficking.

The report further notes that following intensified scrutiny by authorities, Vibhor had approached pharmaceutical company Abbott, requesting it to take back nearly one crore bottles of cough syrup.

Investigators have found that large consignments linked to Vibhor's associates, identified as Saurabh and Pappan, were also seized in western Uttar Pradesh. The report alleges that part of Vibhor's stock was deliberately diverted by the company to Shubham Jaiswal for the purpose of smuggling. A significant cache of cough syrup was later recovered from a warehouse in Varanasi belonging to Manoj Yadav, an associate of Shubham Jaiswal.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed the issue in the state Assembly, asserting that no deaths have occurred in Uttar Pradesh due to the consumption of codeine-based cough syrup. He stated that the case is being dealt with stringently under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Providing details of the action taken so far, CM Yogi said that 79 cases have been registered, 225 accused have been identified, and 78 arrests have been made in connection with the matter. He further informed the House that raids have been conducted on 134 firms as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Chief Minister further alleged that links to the Samajwadi Party may emerge as the investigation progresses."No accused in this case will escape. And don't worry, when the time comes, preparations will also be made for bulldozer action. Don't complain then," he stated. (ANI)