Jalandhar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Jalandhar zone has arrested a medical businessman for allegedly earning crores of rupees by illegally selling psychotropic medicines such as tramadol and alprazolam on a large scale. The arrest was made under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The accused, Abhishek Kumar, was produced before a special PMLA court in Mohali on Tuesday. The court remanded him to six days of ED custody. According to officials, the agency has so far detected irregularities worth ₹3.75 crore in the case.
The ED began its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Punjab Police under the NDPS Act. The police case involved allegations of inter-state trafficking of psychotropic substances, including tramadol and alprazolam. During the probe, the ED conducted searches at 16 premises linked to Abhishek Kumar and his associates, seizing key documents and records.
Investigators found that the tablets, commonly misused as intoxicants, were procured from pharmaceutical companies and then diverted to the black market.
The inquiry revealed that wholesalers and retailers associated with Biogenetic Drugs Pvt Ltd, CB Health Care, Samilecl Pharmachem, Astar Pharma, Sol Health Care Pvt Ltd and others had supplied large quantities of these psychotropic medicines. These were later sold through drug peddlers at prices several times higher than the retail value.
