Luxury Haul from Dismissed Constable’s Mansion Exposes Depth of ₹1,000-Crore Cough Syrup Racket

What first grabbed attention was the sheer opulence of the mansion raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Lucknow. Now, as investigators dig deeper, a detailed inventory of luxury items seized from the residence of dismissed police constable Alok Pratap Singh has shed further light on the scale of the alleged multi-crore codeine-based cough syrup (CBCS) smuggling racket.

The sprawling 7,000-square-foot house features ornate European-style interiors, spiral staircases, vintage lighting, and lavish décor. According to officials, luxury items recovered during the raid include branded handbags from Prada and Gucci, high-end Rado watches worth several lakhs each, and a range of expensive electronic devices. The details were shared by officials cited in a PTI report.

Alok Pratap Singh was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (STF) on December 2. He had been dismissed from service for the second time in 2019.

His name surfaced during the interrogation of another accused, Amit Kumar Singh alias Amit ‘Tata’, who is currently lodged in Lucknow jail.

“Preliminary assessments indicate that ₹1.5–2 crore was spent on the interiors alone, while the construction of the house may have cost around ₹5 crore, excluding the price of land,” a senior police officer involved in the probe told PTI.
“A government-approved valuer has been appointed to assess the total investment and identify any illicit funds used,” the officer added.

What is the CBCS racket?

The alleged racket, believed to have laundered nearly ₹1,000 crore, revolves around the illegal sale of codeine-based cough syrups used as intoxicants for drug abuse.

Police allege that Alok Pratap Singh was an active member of the network and operated wholesale cough syrup units in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. From these locations, the syrup was smuggled to other states and trafficked across international borders into Bangladesh and Nepal.

Investigators also claim he mentored young men from districts such as Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Varanasi, leveraging his connections within police and political circles.

The prime accused in the case, Shubham Jaiswal, is believed to have fled to Dubai, while his father, Bhola Jaiswal, has been taken into custody.

Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Rajeev Krishna has said the investigation has exposed a wide network of “super-stockists” involved in the illegal trade.

So far, police have seized around 3.5 lakh bottles of cough syrup valued at approximately ₹4.5 crore, and 32 people have been arrested.

Authorities are currently verifying financial transactions and tracing money trails linked to the syndicate, with the Enforcement Directorate conducting parallel investigations.

Who is Alok Pratap Singh?

A native of Chandauli, Alok Pratap Singh joined the police force more than two decades ago. In 2006, he was arrested in a case involving the alleged loot of gold and was dismissed from service. He was later reinstated following his acquittal by a court.

However, fresh allegations of insubordination and corruption led to his second dismissal in 2019. Police say that after leaving the force, Singh ventured into business activities and cultivated influential connections that allegedly enabled his role in the cough syrup smuggling network.