Varanasi: Since Tuesday, Kotwali police has made a massive dent in the hawala network operating under codeine cough syrup syndicate kingpin Shubham Jaiswal’s close aide Vaibhav Jaiswal.ACP Kotwali Vijay Pratap Singh said on Wednesday that Vaibhav Jaiswal had been arrested, while six of his hawala network members, including Ashok Chaudhary, Mohit Sarswa, Ram Avatar and Girdhari of Rajasthan and Santosh Giri of Ghazipur and Om Prakash Kushwaha of Ballia, were arrested on Wednesday. Hawala money amounting to Rs 19.66 lakh, three currency-counting machines, 10 mobile phones, damaged currency notes in different denominations were recovered from them. Evidence was gathered.Police got clue about Vaibhav’s involvement in the codeine syrup episode while scrutinising bank account details and transactions of previously arrested members of the syndicate. Immediately after the name of Shubham was exposed in the codeine syrup smuggling case, Vaibhav absconded. With progress in special investigation team in the episode, it became clear that Vaibhav was closest and most trusted aide of Shubham, and even after the latter absconded, they continued to communicate on FaceTime app.Vaibhav used to rotate money earned from codeine syrup smuggling to locations and people designated by Shubham. Hawala operations were conducted on larger scale from West Bengal by Vaibhav, who was also incorporating liquor trade in Shubham’s syndicate. The syndicate managed allotment of many liquor shops.After Vaibhav’s arrest and interrogation before sending him to jail on Tuesday, police collected details of the hawala network members. The ACP said four of six arrested hawala network members hailed from Rajasthan and were lodged here in Jaitpura locality to run the trade along with other members.Apart from targeting close aides and members of Shubham’s syndicate, police intensified process to attach their properties and freeze bank accounts in his name after the term of 30 days to appear before court was over. Police said formalities to seek court orders in this regard had begun.Shubham, suspected to be hiding in Dubai or Nepal, avoided transactions from his own bank accounts fearing tracing of his location and arrest. The investigators suspect money to meet his expenses is reaching him through his hawala network.Action initiated by Uttar Pradesh police in codeine syrup scam of thousands of crores of rupees has led to arrest of Shubam’s father Bhola Jaiswal, besides several key players and members of the syndicate and properties of many accused have also been forfeited so far. Progress is investigation has started exposing hawala network operated for fund rotation of syndicate now.
