VARANASI, April 5 -- A court in Varanasi on Saturday declared Shubham Jaiswal, the alleged mastermind in a codeine cough syrup syndicate, a proclaimed offender under Section 84(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said. Assistant commissioner of police (Kotwali) Vijai Pratap Singh confirmed the development. Jaiswal has been absconding and failed to appear before the court on March 30 despite due process being followed, officials said. According to police, a copy of the court's proclamation under Section 84 of the BNSS was affixed at Jaiswal's residence as well as at a public place near Golgaddha bus stand. The order was also formally served at his residence in the presence of witnesses. A public proclamation (munadi) was carried out in the locality, during which the court's order was read aloud to residents and announced using a loudspeaker system, accompanied by the beating of drums. Finally, the proclamation was published on March 1. However, Jaiswal failed to appear before the court on March 30. Subsequently, police moved an application seeking that he be declared a proclaimed offender. After hearing the plea, the court of the additional sessions judge (fast track court), Varanasi, declared Jaiswal a proclaimed offender in the case, police said in a communique....