Kanpur Nagar Police have claimed a major breakthrough in an inter-state codeine syrup trafficking racket with the arrest of Vinod Agarwal (58) from Haryana on Monday. Vinod, who has similar cases registered in Chandauli, Lucknow, and Varanasi, was reportedly carrying a reward of Rs50,000.
According to Additional DCP (Crime) Anjali Vishwakarma, investigations revealed that the accused falsified the purchase of 32,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup in a single bill, while the total quantity involved was 89,600 bottles. The medicines were sold without valid records, stock registers, or required medical prescriptions.
Further probes indicated that billing and transaction-related digital and computer data had been deliberately removed from the premises, pointing to an attempt to obstruct the investigation. The firm allegedly routed supplies through multiple fake and suspicious firms, confirming the existence of a well-organized inter-state syndicate rather than a local operation.
Verification letters sent to 47 firms mostly returned undelivered, revealing that these entities existed only on paper to conceal the illegal supply of NDPS-category medicines.
A case was registered at Collectorate Ganj Police Station, and the investigation was handed over to the Crime Branch of Kanpur Nagar Police Commissionerate. Using cyber tools, mobile location tracking, digital trail analysis, and network mapping, the Crime Branch maintained continuous surveillance on Vinod Agarwal.
ADCP Vishwakarma said, “We will soon take Vinod in police custody remand from the court and further explore his links in the syrup syndicate.” The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are tracking other members of the network.
