The Enforcement Directorate’s Jalandhar Zonal Office has provisionally attached properties valued at around Rs 2.19 crore in connection with a money laundering investigation related to the illegal supply of psychotropic substances, particularly Tramadol-based tablets. The attachment, carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, includes four immovable properties, both commercial and residential, worth Rs 2.18 crore. These properties belong to entities like M/s MP Traders, M/s Soul Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Akhil Jai Singh of M/s Aster Pharma, and Ankit Kumar of M/s Kanix Pharma.
Additionally, a movable asset in the form of a bank deposit worth Rs 1.2 lakh, owned by Santosh Tiwari, was also attached. The investigation stemmed from an FIR filed by the Punjab Police under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act after the recovery of Tramadol-based tablets and drug money from peddlers.
The ED’s probe revealed an intricate interstate trafficking network diverting large quantities of psychotropic tablets from pharmaceutical manufacturers and firms into the black market without proper documentation. Middlemen, including wholesalers and distributors, procured bulk supplies from manufacturers and sold them illegally through peddlers at inflated prices. Distributors used courier services to transport the tablets, received cash payments for the proceeds of crime, and laundered illicit funds by depositing excess amounts into personal bank accounts.
Searches conducted earlier under PMLA provisions recovered incriminating records that established the financial trail and modus operandi. Abhishek Kumar of M/s Shree Shyam Medical Agency was arrested on December 9, 2025, and remains in judicial custody. The investigation exposed how the network, from manufacturers to distributors and retailers, facilitated the misuse and addiction of controlled psychotropic substances, posing risks to public health and society.
