VARANASI, Dec. 18 -- A man carrying a Rs 10,000 reward on his head was arrested from Kabir Chaura area of Varanasi on Wednesday for his alleged role in a multi-crore codeine cough syrup smuggling racket that operated through fake pharmaceutical firms, Sobhadra police said. Sonbhadra superintendent of police (SP), Abhishek Verma, said the accused, Satyam Kumar, 28, had taken a rented house at village Barkara Kamarhi Road, Robertsganj, Sonbhadra. He obtained a drug license from the drug department in Sonbhadra using a fake experience certificate in the name of Maa Kripa Medical, which does not exist on the ground. Police said Phensedyl cough syrup worth approximately Rs 6 crore was shown as purchased from Shaili Traders, Ranchi, Jharkhand, proprietor Bhola Prasad, later succeeded by his son Shubham Jaiswal, the kingpin of the codeine-based cough syrup trafficking racket. The syrup was shown on paper as sold to Ayush Enterprises, Sanaya Medical, and Dilip Medical, which do not exist. The amount was transferred to Shaili Traders' account by rotating funds from the accounts of these non-existent firms, though no syrup bottles were actually transported. During interrogation, the accused revealed that his maternal uncle's son, Ravi Gupta, a resident of Nai Bazar, Bhadohi, had established Maa Kripa Medical in his name and Shiviksa Pharma in his brother Vijay Gupta's name. Drug licenses were obtained for both firms in January 2024 from the drug inspector's office, Sonbhadra, at the same address, after renting two shops in Barkara village, Robertsganj. According to the SP, the entire fraud was conducted solely on paper. E-way bills and other documents were obtained from Maa Kamakhya Air Cargo Transport, Neechibagh, Varanasi, and copies were sent to the drug inspector, Sonbhadra, via courier...