VARANASI, Dec. 31 -- Sonbhadra police have announced a reward of Rs 25,000 each for information leading to the arrest of four accused, including the main mastermind Shubham Jaiswal, wanted in a codeine cough syrup smuggling case. Other accused named are Nishant alias Ravi Gupta from Bhadohi, Vijay Gupta from Varanasi, and Vishal Upadhyay of Saharanpur. SP Abhishek Verma said that those providing information will remain anonymous. Citizens can share details at the nearest police station. "Teams have been instructed to intensify efforts to apprehend the accused," he added. On October 18, Sonbhadra police intercepted two containers hiding large consignments of codeine-based cough syrup behind snack boxes. Subsequent investigation led to the seizure of two trucks in Ranchi and four more in Ghaziabad. The syndicate involved Shaili Traders, owned by Shubham Jaiswal and his father Bhola Jaiswal of Varanasi. An SIT was formed to probe the case, which revealed the syndicate operated across multiple districts and states. Crores of bottles were reportedly supplied under fake drug licenses. Two firms were registered in Sonbhadra, prompting the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) to file an FIR at the Robertsganj police station. Earlier, Bhola Prasad and Satyam Kumar were arrested in Sonbhadra, and two drivers were held after containers with over 1.19 lakh bottles were seized on November 18. Meanwhile, Azamgarh police have also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for the arrest of the absconding accused Vipendra Singh in the case. SSP Azamgarh, Dr Anil Kumar, said Singh allegedly purchased a total of 328,000 bottles of codeine cough syrup from two firms in Azamgarh, three in Basti, and one in Jaunpur without proper records.d....