Panaji, September 19 (Udaipur Kiran) : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken significant action in a drug trafficking case involving ₹3.96 crore, filing supplementary prosecution complaints against five individuals in Panaji. The complaint was submitted to the Principal District and Sessions Judge in North Goa on September 18, naming Nihal Vadakkancheri Nazar, Prasod PK, Elfin Thomas, Dheeraj Matthews, and Nishant Pratap.
These individuals are accused of money laundering under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). The primary complaint, which was filed on March 16, 2026, is linked to events dating back to February 13, 2025, and previously involved seven other accused.
The ED’s investigation revealed that the accused profited from organized interstate and cross-border drug trafficking, amounting to approximately ₹3.96 crore. Further inquiries led to the identification of the five new accused, who are now numbered 8 to 12 in the case. They are charged with various financial crimes, including the creation, acquisition, layering, concealment, and conversion of proceeds of crime, which reportedly includes transactions in cryptocurrency.
The investigation began following an FIR lodged by the Anti-Narcotic Cell of the North Goa Police on October 15, 2024, against Madhupan Suresh Shashikala under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Evidence indicated that Madhupan had generated nearly ₹3.96 crore through organized drug trafficking since 2016.
Part of these illicit earnings was reportedly funneled through banking channels to Dubai, where it was converted into cryptocurrency for purchasing drugs on the dark web. The supplementary prosecution complaint also accounts for the proceeds linked to the newly accused.
The ED has identified ₹9,39,250 in assets linked to an unnamed individual, and ₹17.48 lakh associated with Uttam Chand. On September 16, the ED temporarily seized these properties under a Provisional Attachment Order.
Reiterating its commitment to dismantling the financial networks of drug trafficking, the ED emphasized that this operation is part of the larger national initiative to achieve a drug-free India. The agency remains resolute in its efforts to trace, identify, and seize assets generated from illegal drug trade and money laundering as the investigation continues.
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