New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at seven places in Chennai, including homes of high-ranking officials of Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department, as part of its widening probe into an allegedly spurious cough syrup that has killed 21 children.
These raids are carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and are against Sreesan Pharma, the Chennai company which produced the Coldrif cough syrup.
The ED investigation is based on an FIR lodged by the Madhya Pradesh Police, which claimed that the tainted syrup was the direct cause of the children’s deaths. Madhya Pradesh Police arrested the owner of Sreesan Pharma on October 9 in the case.
After the tragedy, two officials of the State Drug Control Department were suspended by the Tamil Nadu government for not conducting mandatory inspections in the last two years.
In another related incident, the acting director of the Drugs Control Department was caught by the anti-corruption Bureau recently while taking a bribe. Another FIR has been registered in this case.
As both FIRs pertain to notified offences under the PMLA, the ED filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and is currently probing the alleged laundering of proceeds derived from selling the spurious medicine.
The ongoing raids target main officials of Sreesan Pharma and top Drug Control officials, such as the acting director involved in the case of bribery, with the objective of tracing illegal funds and identifying the entire chain of suspects.
