The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached possessions worth Rs 1 crore belonging to Neeraj Bhatia, a partner in a private healthcare company. He is accused of being involved in the illegal diversion of codeine-based cough syrups for drug supply.
The action was carried out by the Enforcement Directorate’s Jammu sub-zonal office. The move has caused fear in pharmaceutical circles, as Bhatia also heads the Sirmour Drug Manufacturing Association.
The case began with a probe launched by the Jammu Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The agency accused Bhatia, co-accused Niket Kansal, and others of diverting Corex and codeine cough syrups from legal factories to drug trafficking groups.
As per the ED, between 2018 and 2024, large batches of the regulated cough syrups were supplied to five companies — SS Industries, Kansal Industries, Noveta Pharma, Kansal Pharmaceuticals and NK Pharmaceutical. These units are believed to be connected to Kansal’s network.
The supply chain reportedly ended with Srinagar resident Rais Ahmad Bhatt. In January 2024, NCB recovered a large quantity of cough syrup from his premises.
In February 2025, ED teams searched the homes of Bhatia and Kansal. They recovered Rs 32 lakh in cash and jewellery valued at Rs 1.61 crore. As the investigation continued, the agency froze a land parcel belonging to the firm in Panipat, treating it as “proceeds of crime”.
NCB has found that a trafficking network spread across Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir has been illegally selling codeine cough syrups for nearly seven years. So far, seven people have been arrested, and about 34 kg of codeine syrup has been recovered from different places.
This action comes eight months after ED raided the home of senior BJP leader Nitisain Bhatia in Panipat. The search lasted 17 hours, during which officials seized Rs 6 lakh in cash, foreign liquor and empty jewellery boxes. They also found five luxury cars at the house.
Officials had not disclosed the items inside the boxes seized during that raid.
The ED investigation is still underway. More property attachments and arrests are expected as the agency follows the financial trail of the alleged pharma-drug racket.
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