Varanasi: Vikash Singh, owner of a pharma firm, who allegedly issued a fake two-year experience certificate to facilitate fugitive Shubham Jaiswal’s bid to obtain a licence to open a drugs firm, was arrested by Rohaniya police on Sunday night. Police said Shubham and his jailed father, Bhola Prasad Jaiswal, started siphoning off codeine syrup for smuggling through the same firm.Rohaniya police station in charge Raju Singh said Vikash, 62, was arrested from his residence during the investigation into a case registered under the NDPS Act and Sections 318(4) (cheating), 336(3) (forgery), 338 and 340(2) (using a forged document as genuine) of the BNS. His arrest was made on the basis of CDR and other evidence.A native of Prahlad Ghat under Adampur police station, Vikash had issued a fake two-year experience certificate to Shubham, showing that he had worked at his firm, Shyambhavi Pharma, despite knowing that Shubham had never been employed there, police said. Using the forged certificate, Shubham became the competent person for Shaili Traders, Ranchi, and, along with other accused, smuggled large quantities of Phensedyl cough syrup to earn money.Codeine syrup smuggling-related cases have been lodged at Rohaniya, Sarnath and Kotwali police stations in Varanasi after Sonbhadra police started exposing the illegal trade in a series of investigations in Oct 2025. Shubham’s father was arrested from Kolkata in 2025, but Shubham is still hiding in Dubai.Apart from Shubham, his mother, wife, other relatives and gang members have also come on the police radar. Police have arrested several members of the syndicate and booked them under the Gangsters Act as well.Amid the filing of chargesheets, arrests of accused persons and attachment of properties allegedly acquired through illegal earnings from codeine cough syrup smuggling, Varanasi Commissionerate police stepped up the process of extraditing Shubham in April, after he was declared a fugitive in March.Police also initiated the process in April for issuance of a Red Corner Notice through the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which functions as India’s National Central Bureau (NCB), to locate and provisionally arrest Shubham for extradition. Meanwhile, police are continuing their investigation into the cases already lodged against members of the syndicate.
