Mastermind’s father Bhola Jaiswal arrested at Kolkata airport in major cough syrup smuggling case
The Statesman | 1 December 2025
The Sonbhadra police have made a major breakthrough in the high-profile cough syrup smuggling case.
Bhola Jaiswal, father of the alleged mastermind Shubham Jaiswal, has been taken into custody. He was intercepted at Kolkata Airport just before boarding a Kolkata–Thailand flight, from where he was reportedly planning to travel onward to Singapore. Bhola Jaiswal is the owner of Shaili Traders, a firm now at the centre of the investigation.
The case surfaced after a large-scale illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrup was uncovered in Sonbhadra district. The revelations followed an inspection conducted by Drug Inspector Rajesh Kumar Maurya, which pointed to the suspicious involvement of two medical stores operated by two brothers.
During the investigation, it emerged that Ranchi-based Shaili Traders had supplied a staggering 7,53,000 bottles (7.53 crore ml) of codeine-based syrup to M/s Maa Kripa Medical and Shiviksha Pharma in Sonbhadra. Not only was this quantity considered highly suspicious, but officials also found no evidence of actual storage or sale at either of the two shops.
Consequently, an FIR was registered at Robertsganj Kotwali against Bhola Jaiswal and the operators of the two medical stores.
According to the complaint filed by the Drug Inspector, he visited the two establishments near Barkara Talab on November 25 following orders from the Lucknow headquarters. Both shops were found locked. Local residents and property owners informed investigators that the shops had remained closed for months.
When the premises were later opened using keys provided by the owners, the shops were found completely empty, no medicine stock, no licence copies, and not even basic registers were available.
The police are continuing the investigation and are making efforts to arrest other members of the smuggling network. Further details are awaited.