ED Raids in Sresan Pharmaceuticals Cough Syrup Tragedy

In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted extensive raids on the premises of Sresan Pharmaceuticals on Monday. These raids are part of a money laundering investigation associated with the tragic death of children linked to the consumption of Coldrif cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to official sources.

As part of the operation, seven locations in Chennai are under scrutiny by the ED, acting under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The incident has claimed the lives of at least 20 children, most of whom were younger than five years old, in the affected states.

Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Kanchipuram and licensed by the Tamil Nadu Food and Drug Administration in 2011, has been identified for its substandard practices and continual infractions of national drug safety standards. An alarming discovery revealed their cough syrup to be tainted with diethylene glycol (DEG), a harmful industrial solvent. Consequently, G Ranganathan, the company's owner, was apprehended by the Madhya Pradesh Police on October 9.

(With inputs from agencies.)