4 months ago
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Uttar Pradesh Police connected Friday (January 23, 2026) initiated attachment proceedings against movable and immovable assets worthy astir ₹28.50 crore belonging to Bhola Prasad, the premier accused successful a codeine-based cough syrup smuggling case, pursuing tribunal orders, officials said.
The attachment was carried retired astatine 3 antithetic locations successful Varanasi nether the supervision of Sonbhadra City Circle Officer Randhir Kumar Mishra, constabulary said.
Prasad, a nonmigratory of Varanasi Commissionerate area, is presently lodged successful Sonbhadra territory jail.
Sonbhadra Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Verma said during the peculiar probe team’s probe into the amerciable commercialized of cough syrup containing codeine, it was recovered that the main accused had been operating an organised syndicate and amassed assets worthy astir ₹28.50 crore done the illicit business.
Based connected the findings, the properties were identified, and a study was submitted to the tribunal seeking attachment nether Section 107 (attachment, forfeiture, oregon restoration of spot derived from transgression activity) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Considering the evidence, the tribunal issued attachment orders connected Thursday (January 22), aft which a constabulary squad was sent to Varanasi, and the process began, Mr. Verma said.
According to police, the attached assets see 2 fixed deposit receipts worthy ₹1,13,93,276 successful Indian Bank's Sampurnanand Sanskrit University subdivision successful Varanasi, portion 2 different slope accounts with a equilibrium of ₹6,89,607 were debit-frozen.
The attachment besides covers a Mercedes-Benz car with an estimated existent worth of ₹1.22 crore, and 2 residential houses successful Varanasi purchased successful February 2023 for ₹3.03 crore successful the sanction of Prasad's wife, Sharda Jaiswal.
A gathering successful the Bhelupur country of Varanasi, bought successful July 2025 for ₹23 crore successful his wife's name, has besides been attached, constabulary said.
Earlier, the accused was arrested astatine Dum Dum Airport successful Kolkata with the assistance of Kolkata constabulary portion helium was attempting to fly abroad, officials said.
The SP said the attachment proceedings were carried retired connected Friday nether the directions of the Varanasi territory magistrate, with teams led by the sub-divisional magistrate of Pindra, Varanasi, and the Sonbhadra metropolis ellipse officer.
He added that strict enactment would proceed against those progressive successful the amerciable cough syrup trade.
Uttar Pradesh authorities are presently investigating a wider racket related to amerciable stocking and commercialized of codeine-based cough syrup, suspected to beryllium worthy hundreds of crores and dispersed adjacent extracurricular the State.
