Lucknow, Dec 12 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided multiple locations in various states as part of a money laundering investigation against an alleged illegal cough syrup trade racket in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

The searches are covering 25 premises in Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh apart from those located in Ranchi and Ahmedabad, they said.

The federal probe agency has booked a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the alleged illegal trade.

Locations linked to absconding main accused Shubham Jaiswal and his alleged associates Alok Singh, Amit Singh and some others, cough syrup manufacturers and a Chartered Accountant (CA) Vishnu Aggarwal are being raided, according to ED officials.

The ED action is based on about 30 UP Police FIRs that were registered after the state government took cognisance of incidents related to misuse of codeine-based cough syrups (CBCS), their illegal manufacturing, trade and transport including across the Bangladesh border.

The total proceeds of crime estimated in the case is about Rs 1,000 crore, the ED officials.

Main accused Shubham Jaiswal is understood to have fled to Dubai while his father has been arrested by UP Police. A total of 32 persons have been taken into custody by the state police till now which has constituted a SIT to probe the case, the officials said. PTI NES DV DV

Illegal cough syrup trade probe triggers multi-location raids and asset seizure investigation under money laundering laws. A money laundering investigation under the PMLA targets an alleged illegal trade in codeine based cough syrups, with coordinated raids at multiple premises linked to manufacturers, traders, a chartered accountant and suspected organisers. The action is based on about 30 police FIRs alleging illegal manufacture, trade and cross border transport, records estimated proceeds of crime of about Rs 1,000 crore, and follows state arrests and formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe predicate offences and trace alleged proceeds.