Varanasi: In a fresh crackdown on the multi-crore codeine cough syrup smuggling network, Sarnath police have booked 10 already arrested accused under the stringent Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, naming alleged smuggler Lokesh Agrawal as the gang leader.Police said Lokesh’s group operated as part of the syndicate of fugitive codeine smuggling kingpin Shubham Jaiswal and his jailed father Bhola Jaiswal, who have already been booked under the Gangsters Act earlier this year. Except for one accused who suffered a brain stroke, all members of Lokesh’s gang are currently lodged in jail.DCP (Varuna Zone) Pramod Kumar said on Saturday that the 10 accused booked under Section 3(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, include Lokesh Agrawal of Mahmoorganj, Vishnu Kumar Pandey of Sarnath, Prateek Kumar of Pandeypur, Akash Pathak of Golghar in Varanasi, Sureshchandra Gupta, Faizur Rahman, Satyendra Kumar Sahu, Mohammad Saif of Prayagraj, Vinod Agrawal of Kanpur, and Manish Kumar Singh of Gorakhpur.Police said all the accused were arrested after their involvement in the illegal trafficking and storage of codeine-based cough syrup was uncovered in 2025. The investigation in the Sarnath case has been completed, and a chargesheet has already been filed before the court. Based on the investigation, a report recommending action under the Gangsters Act was sent to Police Commissioner Mohit Agrawal. Following his approval, the accused were booked under the Act.According to the DCP, Lokesh, a resident of Mohani Kunj in Mahmoorganj under Sigra police station limits, formed an organised gang that earned huge illegal profits through the trafficking and storage of codeine-mixed cough syrup. Police alleged that the gang members used the proceeds of the crime to fund a lavish lifestyle. The gang allegedly operated under the direction of Shubham, whose network has been investigated in multiple cases.Cases related to the codeine cough syrup racket have been registered at the Rohaniya, Sarnath, and Kotwali police stations in Varanasi following the Sonbhadra police’s busting of the illegal trade in Oct 2025. Shubham’s father was arrested from Kolkata in 2025, while he is believed to be hiding in Dubai. Police have initiated the process for his extradition.
