The ED is now examining companies manufacturing codeine-based syrup along with the firms involved in its supply. Officials are also identifying FSDA officers suspected of facilitating the racket. Based on more than 30 FIRs registered in several Uttar Pradesh districts, the agency has filed a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
A summons has been issued to prime accused Shubham Jaiswal, asking him to appear on December 8. His residence in Varanasi was served the notice on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the FSDA has been directed to provide all records of action taken so far. Over 118 FIRs have been lodged against firms in more than a dozen districts. Investigations have revealed that several shell firms were being operated solely to generate fake billing. These entities enabled the diversion and smuggling of cough syrup worth billions of rupees.
Preliminary findings show that consignments were procured from two manufacturers in Himachal Pradesh, three in Uttarakhand and one each in Haryana and Jharkhand. The diverted stock was smuggled into Nepal through Lucknow, Kanpur, Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich, while firms in Varanasi and Ghaziabad pushed shipments into Bangladesh. A Jharkhand-based company is believed to have been producing a major share of the syrup, with Jaiswal’s firm Sally Traders acting as the super stockist.
The ED will soon interrogate two jailed accused, Alok Singh and Amit Singh Tata, who allegedly partnered with Jaiswal in the illegal trade. Investigators are collecting details of their companies, bank accounts and properties ahead of questioning.
Two chartered accountants, Tushar and Vishnu Agarwal, are also under the scanner for allegedly managing accounts of the accused firms and helping conceal proceeds of crime. The ED is expected to summon them for questioning shortly.
The police crackdown has so far led to multiple FIRs across the state. Varanasi has reported 38 cases, followed by 16 in Jaunpur, eight in Kanpur Nagar, six in Ghazipur, four in Lakhimpur Kheri, three in Lucknow and the remaining in other districts.
At the same time, the Special Task Force is hunting for key syndicate member Vikas Singh Narve, a resident of Azamgarh, who has been evading arrest for five days. Sources claim he manages to flee minutes before teams reach his location. Narve, considered close to former MP Dhananjay Singh, allegedly introduced Jaiswal to co-accused Amit Singh Tata. Investigators suspect he was preparing to enter politics and wielding growing influence in Azamgarh.
There are fears he may flee abroad, possibly to Dubai. He was last seen accompanying a cabinet minister admitted at a private hospital in Lucknow. The search continues for Narve, along with other accused including Gaurav Jaiswal. The ED and STF believe the network has deeper links and that the financial trail will expose more players in the illegal trade.
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