ED raids Paonta Sahib firm in money laundering case
A team of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today raided a Paonta Sahib-based pharmaceutical firm for their alleged involvement in a money laundering case. The said firm, Vidit Healthcare, Paonta Sahib, is being investigated by the central agency for the nefarious sale of codeine syrup. A police officer confirmed the ED raid.
The ED had earlier sought the details of properties owned by the firm and five other persons from the district administration in December 2024. The Sirmaur Deputy Commissioner was asked to furnish the property details of Vidit Healthcare, Paonta Sahib, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as per a communication of December 7, 2024. The ED has sought details of properties owned at Kishenpura village by Vidit Healthcare, which is a partnership firm, besides those of Neeraj Bhatia and his wife Mehak Bhatia; Naveen Bhatia; and Neti Seain Bhatia and his wife Nirmal Bhatia.
As per the inquiries conducted by revenue officials, the firm owns 6.04 bigha land at khasra number 149 in the name of Neeraj Bhatia and another two patches registered in the name of Naveen Bhatia, comprising 2.04 bigha and 1.02 bigha at Kishenpura village. All these properties were now under the ED scanner.
Significantly, in August 2024, the Jammu-based team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested Neeraj Bhatia, one of the owners of codeine syrup manufacturing firm — Vidit Healthcare, Paonta Sahib for nefarious sale of codeine syrup.
The NCB had seized 33.980 kg of codeine-based cough syrup, 900 tablets of alprazolam, 56 capsules of tramadol, 210 tablets of lorazepam, 570 tablets of clobazam, along with cash amounting to Rs 15.03 lakh, from the house of Bhatia and his associate in Delhi last year.
Since the Act provides for freezing, seizing and confiscation of the properties derived from the illicit sale and purchase of drugs, property details have also been sought by the NCB from the revenue authorities of Paonta Sahib. The manufacturing firm is operational since more than a decade.
