The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided multiple locations across several states as part of a money-laundering investigation into an alleged illegal cough syrup trafficking racket in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
The searches, which began around 7:30 am, are being conducted at 25 premises in Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, as well as in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat).
The ED has registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the illegal manufacturing, trade and transportation of codeine-based cough syrups (CBCS), including suspected cross-border smuggling into Bangladesh.
Locations linked to the absconding main accused, Shubham Jaiswal, and his alleged associates Alok Singh and Amit Singh, along with certain cough syrup manufacturers and Chartered Accountant Vishnu Aggarwal, are being searched, the officials said.
The agency’s action is based on around 30 FIRs registered by Uttar Pradesh Police after the state government took cognisance of widespread misuse and illegal circulation of CBCS.
The estimated proceeds of crime in the case amount to about Rs 1,000 crore, according to ED officials.
Shubham Jaiswal is believed to have fled to Dubai, while his father has been arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police. A total of 32 people have been taken into custody so far, and the state police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.