Shubham's 450 Cr Varanasi Cough Syrup Scam: Lured with Luxury, Used Fake Firms

• ED uncovered a 450 crore money trail in a cough syrup black market scam in Varanasi, linked to Shubham Jaiswal.
• Shubham lured individuals with expensive gifts like phones and branded clothes to obtain their Aadhaar and PAN cards.
• He used these documents, along with fake ones, to register fictitious firms and obtain drug licenses for cough syrup transactions.
• Approximately 187 fictitious firms were identified as being used solely for buying and selling cough syrup.
• Two individuals, Vishal Kumar and Badal Arya, were arrested, admitting to receiving 1 rupee per bottle commission from Shubham for using their names for firms.

Why It Matters: Exposes a massive illegal cough syrup trade using fake firms and exploited individuals in Varanasi.