Codeine case: ₹28.5 crore assets of kingpin’s father attached

Sonbhadra police seized assets worth ₹28.50 crore from Bhola Prasad, linked to a codeine syrup smuggling case, following court orders.

The special investigating team (SIT) of Sonbhadra police on Friday attached movable and immovable assets worth ₹28.50 crore of Bhola Prasad, a prime accused in a codeine-based cough syrup smuggling case, following court orders, officials said.

The attachment was carried out at different locations in Varanasi, police said (Sourced)

The attachment was carried out at different locations in Varanasi, police said. Prasad, who is the father of the racket’s alleged kingpin Subham Jaiswal, was arrested from the Kolkata airport last year when he was allegedly attempting to flee the country. At present, he is lodged in the Sonbhadra district jail.

“The SIT investigation found out that the accused was operating an organised syndicate for the illegal trafficking of codeine-laced cough syrup and had acquired movable and immovable property worth approximately ₹28.50 crore through this criminal activity,” said Sonbhadra superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek Verma.

After identifying these properties, a report was submitted to a court for confiscation under Section 107 of the BNSS. Upon finding sufficient evidence, the court passed an order on January 22, for the confiscation of the movable and immovable properties acquired by the accused through crime. Thereafter, the properties worth ₹28.50 crore, acquired through criminal activities were confiscated, added the officer.

The attachment also covers a Mercedes-Benz car with an estimated current value of ₹1.22 crore, and two residential houses in Varanasi purchased in February 2023 for ₹3.03 crore in the name of Prasad’s wife, Sharda Jaiswal. A building in the Bhelupur area of Varanasi, bought in July last year for ₹23 crore in his wife’s name, was also attached, police said.