CHANDIGARH: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to freeze 25 immovable properties in Punjab with an aggregate invested value of approximately Rs 20.10 crore in an inter-state pharmaceutical drug diversion case which include industrial plots, commercial units, shop-cum-office units and residential apartments in Mohali adjacent to Chandigarh.
In an order dated October 30, the Competent Authority under the SAFEM (FOP) and NDPS Acts, New Delhi, under Section 68F(2) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, confirmed the freezing order issued by NCB on October 2 during the investigation of the inter-state pharma diversion case.
The NCB stated that the financial investigation revealed that the sale proceeds of diverted drugs were routed and layered through the bank accounts of the firms under investigation. The accused failed to establish lawful sources of income for acquiring the properties held in their own names and those of their family members.
The 25 properties comprise industrial plots, commercial units, shop-cum-office units and residential apartments, including properties in Gillco Industrial Park, Mohali City Centre-3, Mohali City Centre Walk, Janta Industrial Estate, Galaxy Heights-2 and Queenstown. The confirmed freezing restricts their transfer or other dealings without prior permission, preserving the assets for proceedings under Chapter VA of the NDPS Act.
The case originated with the seizure of 5,000 Tramadol tablets at Amritsar on February 7, 2025. Their packaging identified M/s J R Pharmaceuticals, Haridwar, as the manufacturer and M/s Tiwari Medical Agencies, Dehradun, as the marketer.
Enquiries established that the marketing firm did not exist. A Special Investigation Team constituted by NCB pursued the supply chain, leading to the detection of an inter-state network of pharmaceutical firms in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh diverting medicines to non-existent entities for illicit distribution.
The investigating agency stated that in the investigation in this case has so far resulted in the seizure of approximately 34 lakh psychotropic tablets, 10.57 lakh bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, 50,000 Tramadol ampoules, 5,000 Midazolam vials and approximately 2,200 kg of psychotropic powder, including raw material and formulations.
Seventeen persons have been arrested, and the network has been found to extend across seven States, namely Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
"Substantial quantities of psychotropic drugs and raw material were seized from M/s Digital Vision and M/s Vellinton Healthcare, Kala-Amb, Himachal Pradesh. Konic Goyal, Manic Goyal and their father Parshotam Lal Goyal, residents of Ambala Cantt, Haryana, remain absconding despite repeated summons and non-bailable warrants." statement issued by the NCB.
"Their applications for anticipatory bail have been dismissed by the Supreme Court of India. The confirmed freezing covers properties held in their names and those of their family members," stated the statement issued by the NCB.
An official of the agency said, "The action reflects NCB’s network-centric approach, which combines investigation of drug supply chains with parallel financial investigation. By tracing the movement of diverted medicines and the proceeds of their sale, NCB seeks to identify and act against the manufacturers, distributors, organisers, front entities and financial facilitators involved in illicit trafficking. Action against illegally acquired assets disrupts the financial support ecosystem that sustains such networks and constrains their ability to reinvest drug profits in further trafficking."