VARANASI, May 3 -- Rohaniya police in Varanasi on Friday registered a case under the stringent Gangsters Act against nine individuals, including Bhola Prasad Jaiswal and Shubham Jaiswal, in connection with the codeine cough syrup smuggling case. The case was registered under Section 3(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986, following approval from the commissioner of police. A police officer confirmed that Bhola Prasad Jaiswal has been declared the gang leader. The nine accused against whom the Gangsters Act was invoked are Bhola Prasad Jaiswal, Shubham Jaiswal, Azad Jaiswal, Mahesh Kumar Singh, Shivakant alias Shiv, Swapnil Keshari, Dinesh Kumar Yadav, Ashish Yadav and Saurabh Tyagi. Police stated that the accused were involved in an organised criminal gang, active at the inter-district level, which illegally earned money by smuggling and storing codeine-containing cough syrup for economic and material benefits. The original case was registered on November 19, 2025, under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. This followed the recovery of 18,600 vials of codeine-containing cough syrup and an additional 75,150 vials from the warehouse of accused Mahesh Kumar Singh in Bhadwar. A charge sheet was subsequently filed against the accused, leading to the application of the Gangsters Act....