Sonbhadra police have secured the preventive detention of Bhola Prasad, father of codeine-based cough syrup trafficking network’s alleged kingpin Shubham Jaiswal, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act, 1988 for one year.
The detention order was approved by the competent authority on April 15 following a proposal sent by superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek Verma through the district magistrate. Officials said the action is aimed at curbing the activities of habitual offenders involved in narcotics diversion and illegal trade.
According to police, Bhola Prasad, a Varanasi resident, is accused of diverting codeine-based cough syrup into the black market. Investigations revealed the network used fake firms and forged billing to procure large quantities of regulated pharmaceutical syrup for illegal distribution.
Police said the operation is part of an organised interstate and cross-border racket, with consignments allegedly routed as far as Bangladesh. The accused is believed to have played a key role in procurement and financial transactions linked to the syndicate.
According to officials, the main accused, Shubham Jaiswal, operated through a fictitious firm, ‘Shaili Traders’, registered in his father’s name, to obtain bulk supplies of Phensedyl cough syrup and divert them into illegal channels for profit.
The PIT NDPS Act,1988 provides for preventive detention to stop individuals from engaging in illicit drug trafficking, complementing provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985. Officials said the move is part of a sustained crackdown on drug trafficking networks exploiting pharmaceutical supply chains.
Charge sheet filed against 18 accused
MeanwhileVaranasi’s Kotwali police have filed a charge sheet against 18 accused, including Shubham Jaiswal and Bhola Prasad, in connection with the codeine syrup case.
Filed on Thursday, the charge sheet runs into 38,000 pages and contains detailed evidence related to the case, according to an official communiqué.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Vijay Pratap Singh said the charge sheet was submitted in court against the accused in a case registered at Kotwali police station over the illegal sale and smuggling of codeine-based cough syrup using fake e-bills and forged documents.
Others include Prateek Mishra, Vishal Kumar Sonkar, Prateek Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar Agarwal, Aditya Jaiswal, Rahul Yadav, Himanshu Kasera, Akash Pathak, Vikas Singh, Ankit Kumar, Swapnil Kesari, Dinesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav, Mahesh Khetan, Badal Arya, and Vishal Kumar.
www.hindustantimes.com
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