Lucknow, Oct 6 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Lucknow Zonal Office, has secured the conviction of four accused—Shahid, Harswaroop, Brij Kishore alias Birju and Deepak Rana—in a money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The case stems from the illicit trafficking of narcotic substances, an ED statement said on Tuesday.
The Special Court (PMLA), Lucknow, convicted Shahid, Harswaroop and Brij Kishore under Section 3 of the PMLA, punishable under Section 4. The judgment was passed on September 28, 2026, and the order on sentence was pronounced on October 5, 2026.
Each was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for four years along with a fine of Rs 50,000. Separately, co-accused Deepak Rana, whose case was separated after he admitted his guilt before the Court, was convicted on September 9, 2026, in a “Session Case”, the statement said.
He too received a sentence of rigorous imprisonment for four years and a fine of Rs 50,000. Thus, all four—Deepak Rana, Shahid, Harswaroop and Brij Kishore alias Birju—have been convicted in the PMLA case.
The ED investigation was initiated on the basis of a case registered by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Lucknow. It is related to the interception of a truck carrying 237.40 kg of ganja, valued at approximately Rs 14.24 lakh, which was seized as narcotic contraband.
The accused persons were subsequently convicted for the scheduled offence under the provisions of the NDPS Act.
The DRI had earlier filed a complaint in respect of the seizure and transportation of the contraband.
ED investigation revealed that the accused were involved in the concealment, possession and transportation of the proceeds of crime generated from the illicit trafficking of narcotic substances. The probe established their involvement in the process connected with the proceeds of crime, thereby attracting the provisions of the PMLA, 2002.
The conviction indicates that ED makes persistent efforts to detect, disrupt and dismantle the financial networks sustaining the drug menace.
By targeting not only narcotics-related offences but also the proceeds generated from such criminal activities, the agency aims to strike at the economic foundations of illicit drug trafficking.
–IANS
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