Cough Syrup Kingpin Arrested: Sonbhadra's Bhola Prasad Jaiswal Brought Back After Kolkata Arrest
Image Source: Internet
A major breakthrough has been achieved in the fight against the cough syrup racket. Bhola Prasad Jaiswal, the alleged mastermind behind the ₹25 crore fake billing racket, has been brought back to Sonbhadra after his arrest at Kolkata airport on Sunday. Jaiswal, the father of a notorious drug mafia, was attempting to flee abroad when he was detained. The police had earlier seized a massive quantity of banned cough syrup worth ₹3.5 crore from two container trucks on October 18. In related actions, 13,400 bottles were recovered in Jharkhand, and ₹3.4 crore worth of contraband syrup and ₹20 lakh in cash were seized during a joint operation with Ghaziabad police on November 3. Investigations have revealed that Jaiswal was running a large-scale illegal trade through fake billing in the name of Shaili Traders, Ranchi. A SIT probe uncovered ₹25 crore worth of bogus transactions across several districts, including Bhadohi, Chandauli, Varanasi, and Sonbhadra. A case was registered on November 29 by Drug Inspector Rajesh Maurya at Robertsganj police station, alleging that local firms Maa Kripa Medical and Shivaksha Private Limited had diverted 7,53,000 bottles of Phensedyl to the black market between April 2024 and August 2025, leading to Jaiswal’s arrest. During interrogation, Jaiswal claimed innocence, saying that although the firm was registered in his name, operations and financial dealings were handled by his son, Shubham Jaiswal. The police will separately question the chartered accountant, Vishnu Agrawal, and seek Jaiswal’s remand for further interrogation.
