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Crores spent on palace-like homes, luxury interiors under scrutiny, and a sprawling cough syrup syndicate exposed- what did ED uncover during 36-hour raids across six cities, and how deep does the money trail go?
ED searches 25 locations in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into an alleged illegal cough syrup trafficking syndicate after discovering that several accused individuals spent crores of rupees on luxury homes and high-end interiors. Officials suspect the money used for these extravagant properties was generated through the illegal diversion and smuggling of codeine-based cough syrup.
According to officials, accused individuals including Shubham Jaiswal, dismissed constable Alok Pratap Singh, and Saharanpur residents Vibhor Rana and Vishal Singh invested massive amounts in constructing and furnishing their residences.
Codeine Syrup Case: ED conducts raids in various states including UP; Two arrested
Their homes reportedly feature expensive interior work, raising strong suspicions of money laundering. The ED has appointed government-authorised valuers to assess the cost of construction and interiors, a key step toward possible attachment of the properties.
The probe revealed that dismissed constable Alok Pratap Singh built a palace-like house, with the construction cost alone estimated at nearly ₹5 crore. This figure does not include the value of the land. Since the property is located in a prime area of Lucknow, officials are separately assessing the land cost, which is expected to significantly increase the total valuation.
The investigation has also uncovered the involvement of Arpik Pharmaceuticals Private Limited in the illegal trade and diversion of codeine-based cough syrup. Raids at the company’s premises reportedly exposed unaccounted financial transactions worth several crores.
Further findings indicate that Arpik Pharmaceuticals was allegedly operating in collaboration with its associate firm, Idhika Life Sciences, to traffic cough syrup illegally.
UP STF cracks down on Codeine cough syrup racket, arrests 2 key suspects
ED teams continued raids for the second consecutive day on Saturday, with search operations extending beyond 36 hours. In total, around 25 locations linked to the syndicate have been searched across multiple cities, including Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Jaunpur, Saharanpur, and Ranchi. Searches are still underway at premises connected to Alok Singh in Lucknow.
Earlier, in connection with the illegal trade of codeine-based syrups, tablets, capsules, and injections, Krishna Nagar police arrested Suraj Mishra and Pritam Singh on October 11. They are associates of Deepak Manvani, who was previously arrested. Another accused, Aarush Saxena, remains absconding, and police teams are actively searching for him.
The expanding investigation highlights the growing scale of illegal pharmaceutical trafficking and the use of illicit earnings to fund luxury lifestyles.
