A major crackdown on codeine-based cough syrup trafficking in Uttar Pradesh has opened up a trail that stretches across multiple states, involves forged documents, and has now pulled in a crime branch officer arrested for bribe-taking while probing the same network.

The first signs of the operation surfaced after a truck loaded with codeine bottles was seized in Ghaziabad.

What followed was a week-long drive by the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) from November 12–19, uncovering large-scale manipulation of billing and records across medical stores.

Superintendent of Police (City) Ayush Srivastava said the case was lodged on the complaint of Drug Inspector Rajat Kumar Pandey.

According to officials, an FIR has now been registered against 12 medical store owners and two others for running what they describe as a large illegal trade in codeine syrup.

The accused include alleged mastermind Shubham Jaiswal and his father Bhola Prasad, who, police said, “have been booked for fraud and criminal conspiracy.”

A drug department probe found that over 37 lakh bottles of codeine syrup worth about Rs 57 crore were shown as sold through forged documents.

These transactions, spread across more than a dozen medical stores, were routed on paper to several UP districts but were actually channelled into Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal for illegal sale. The supply chain traced back to a Ranchi-based firm.

As the scale of the operation became clearer, “Superintendent of Police (SP) Kaustubh has formed a three-member SIT to investigate further.” Even as the investigation expanded, another twist hit the case.

A crime branch inspector involved in probing a banned cough syrup trafficking network was arrested after he was allegedly caught taking a bribe of Rs 4 lakh to favour an accused businessman.

“Inspector Ramesh Singh Sidhoo, posted with the crime branch, was apprehended on Thursday evening by a team from Sihani Gate police station following specific inputs,” officials said.

The operation was led by Nandgram Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Upasana Pandey, who confirmed that an FIR has been registered against Sidhoo under the Prevention of Corruption Act.