New Delhi, Nov 1 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has seized Rs 4.5 crore cash, mobile-phones and laptops after it conducted searches in Punjab and Rajasthan as part of a drugs-linked money laundering case.

The raids were launched on Tuesday at 25 residential and commercial premises belonging to a person, Akshay Kumar Chhabra, and his associates at Ludhiana, Mohali, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jalandhar in Punjab and Ganganagar in Rajasthan.

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The money laundering case against Chhabra and his associates stems from a complaint of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that alleged 20.32 kg heroin had been recovered from Chhabra.

Chhabra along with his associates were "involved" in the manufacturing and sale of illicit drugs, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged and added that they used to process smuggled morphine or raw heroin through two Afghan nationals, and distributed this to various drug dealers.

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"Chhabra generated huge proceeds out of the illegal drug trade. The said proceeds were found to be transferred abroad to foreign-based raw heroin/morphine suppliers through Hawala channels, utilised by Chhabra for purchasing various movable/ immovable properties in his name and in the name of his accomplices," it said.

"These proceeds were infused in their related entities by way of handing over proceeds of crime in cash to the handler of shell entities and raising fake sales invoices to shell entities and thereby receiving credits from shell entities," the agency claimed.

The ED said that Rs 4.5 crore cash, mobile-phones, laptops, documents related to money trail and property transactions were seized during the searches.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)