Uttar Pradesh Police began attaching movable and immovable assets worth about ₹28.50 crore from Bhola Prasad, the prime accused in a codeine cough syrup smuggling case, on Friday, January 23, 2026. The attachment took place at three locations in Varanasi under Sonbhadra City Circle Officer Randhir Kumar Mishra's supervision. Prasad is currently in Sonbhadra district jail. Sonbhadra SP Abhishek Verma said the special investigation team found that Prasad operated an organised syndicate dealing in illegal codeine-based cough syrup. The syndicate helped him amass huge assets worth ₹28.50 crore. After identifying these properties, the police submitted a report to the court under Section 107 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita for attachment. The court approved the attachment on January 22, leading to police action the next day. The seized assets include two fixed deposit receipts worth ₹1.13 crore in Indian Bank’s Sampurnanand Sanskrit University branch in Varanasi. Two other bank accounts with ₹6.89 lakh have been frozen. Attached also is a Mercedes-Benz car estimated to be worth ₹1.22 crore. Two residential houses in Varanasi bought in February 2023 for ₹3.03 crore are in Prasad’s wife Sharda Jaiswal’s name. Another building in Bhelupur, Varanasi, purchased in July 2025 for ₹23 crore in her name is attached as well. Earlier, Bhola Prasad was arrested at Dum Dum Airport in Kolkata while trying to flee abroad, with Kolkata police’s help. The asset attachment was done under the directions of the Varanasi district magistrate, with teams led by the Pindra sub-divisional magistrate and the Sonbhadra city circle officer. SP Verma said strict action will continue against all involved in the illegal cough syrup trade. Authorities in Uttar Pradesh are probing a wider network suspected to handle hundreds of crores in illegal codeine syrup trade stretching beyond the state.