Kanpur Police Launch Property Attachment Against Codeine Drug Syndicate Accused
In a significant crackdown on narcotics trafficking, the Kanpur police have initiated proceedings to attach properties belonging to codeine drug racket accused Vinod Agrawal, his son Shivam Agrawal, and several associates. This action comes as eight separate cases remain pending against the accused individuals in what authorities describe as a sophisticated state-level syndicate.
Massive Drug Recovery and Investigation Details
Police officials revealed that the case involved the illicit sale of codeine syrup and other narcotic drugs categorized under the NDPS Act, all conducted under the deceptive cover of a legitimate drug license. During coordinated raids, authorities recovered an astonishing 1 lakh bottles of cough syrup from the accused's premises, highlighting the scale of their operations.
ADCP Anjali Vishwakarma confirmed that investigators are actively identifying bank accounts and properties belonging to the accused for seizure action. "This is part of a syndicate operating at the state level," she emphasized, noting that authorities are also examining whether firms supplied by the accused received only codeine-containing syrup or additional medications.
Complex Network of Fake Firms and Interstate Operations
The investigation has uncovered a complex web of deception involving multiple fake companies. During interrogation, two specific firms emerged where the accused claimed to have supplied codeine-containing cough syrup. However, further investigation revealed these firms served merely as covers for supplying cough syrup to various other locations.
Police are currently questioning the transporter and driver involved in these operations while simultaneously investigating whether the firms named by the accused actually received any goods. The extensive list of accused includes not only Vinod Agrawal and his son but also associates Anmol Gupta, Manju Sharma, Abhishek Sharma, Ved Prakash Shivhare, and Sumit Kesarwani among others.
Kingpin Capture and Reward Announcement
Authorities had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to the capture of alleged kingpin Vinod Agrawal, who was subsequently arrested on January 3. The accused father-son duo had gone underground since November 12 following initial police action.
DCP Crime Shravan Kumar Singh detailed the charges against Vinod Agrawal, which include illegal purchase, sale, and storage of drugs, selling prohibited substances, and creating forged documents to facilitate these activities.
Widespread Operations Across Multiple States
Vinod Agrawal, a resident of Patkapur in the Feelkhana police station area and operator of Messrs Agrawal Brothers, stands accused of creating more than 65 fake firms to distribute banned drugs across 12 states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan.
In a major operation, four teams from the Food Commissioner's office raided Agrawal's shop on Birhana Road and his warehouse in Cooperganj, seizing codeine-containing cough syrup and Tramadol tablets worth crores of rupees.
Special Investigation Team Takes Over Case
The entire investigation has now been transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT), though initial inquiries were conducted by local police stations before being handed over to the Crime Branch approximately one week ago.
Investigators have determined that the accused had been selling NDPS-category drugs for an extended period under the guise of their drug license. The drug inspector filed a formal report against Agrawal, his son, and others at the Collectorganj police station after discovering no legitimate evidence of sales and distribution within their firm's records.
This comprehensive police action represents a determined effort to dismantle what appears to be a well-organized narcotics distribution network operating across northern India under the cover of legitimate pharmaceutical operations.
