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Cough syrup case: 5 women arrested from Varanasi for ‘sending money to prime accused through hawala’
Varanasi police have arrested five women for allegedly laundering profits from six liquor shops to a Dubai-based drug kingpin via hawala. The group is accused of funding the lavish lifestyle of absconding cough syrup racketeer Shubham Jaiswal through an organized profit-sharing syndicate.
The arrested women have been identified as Vaibhav’s wife Shivangi Jaiswal (28), his mother Radhika Jaiswal (52), Usha Devi (52), Rekha Devi (55), and Babita Singh (50), all residents of Varanasi who live in the vicinity of Shubham’s house. (Express Photo)
Police have arrested five women from Varanasi for allegedly sending money through hawala route to the prime accused in the codeine-based cough syrup racket case, Shubham Jaiswal, who has been absconding since November and is suspected to have fled to Dubai.
Shubham had invested money in six foreign-made liquor shops, the licences for which the five women hold, police claimed, adding they were sending him a portion of the earnings through hawala.
According to police, Jaiswal has been maintaining a lavish lifestyle in Dubai.
These revelations came to light after the arrest of Shubham’s associate Vaibhav Jaiswal on March 30, over his alleged involvement in the hawala racket, police said.
The arrested women have been identified as Vaibhav’s wife Shivangi Jaiswal (28), his mother Radhika Jaiswal (52), Usha Devi (52), Rekha Devi (55), and Babita Singh (50), all residents of Varanasi who live in the vicinity of Shubham’s house.
Station House Officer (SHO) of Kotwali police station, Rajeev Singh, said the arrested women were produced in a court, which released them on personal bonds with conditions.
The investigation revealed that Shubham’s father, Bhola Prasad — who is currently in jail in connection with the case—had financed the setting up of the liquor shops, the officials said.
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The licences for these outlets were obtained by the women through a lottery system. Of the six shops, five are in the names of the arrested women, while the sixth licence is registered in the name of Shubham’s wife.
Varanasi Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Vijay Pratap Singh said the arrested women admitted that Shubham had a fixed share in the profits from the six foreign liquor shops through an Association of Persons (AOP) arrangement.
So far, a total of 35 persons have been arrested in connection with the case. Shubham, who remains untraceable, was declared a proclaimed absconder by a court recently.
The investigators believe that Vaibhav played a key role in routing money to Shubham.
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