Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Dec 12: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at multiple locations across Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat on Friday in connection with a money-laundering probe into an alleged illegal cough syrup trafficking racket in Uttar Pradesh.

The searches, which began around 7:30 am, covered 25 premises in Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Saharanpur, as well as in Ranchi and Ahmedabad, officials said. The ED has registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to investigate the illegal manufacture, trade, and transportation of codeine-based cough syrups (CBCS), including suspected cross-border smuggling into Bangladesh.

The raids targeted locations linked to 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. The action follows around 30 FIRs registered by Uttar Pradesh Police in response to widespread misuse and illegal circulation of CBCS.

The estimated proceeds of crime in the case are pegged at approximately Rs 1,000 crore, according to ED officials. Shubham Jaiswal is reportedly in Dubai, while his father has been arrested by the UP Police. So far, 32 people have been taken into custody, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed by the state police to probe the matter.