The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday carried out searches at eight locations in Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in a heroin seizure case, an official said.

The searches were conducted at the residences and offices of individuals involved in the smuggling of substantial quantity of narcotics, specifically heroin, which was intercepted upon its arrival in India through the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Attari, Amritsar, on April 24 last year, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.

The official said the contraband was concealed within a consignment of licorice root (mulethi) originating from overseas suppliers in Afghanistan.

The case initially registered with the customs. On July 30 last year, the NIA re-registered the case with the objective of investigating not only the drug seizure but also the role of multiple companies and individuals involved in the drug racket and the related "proceeds of illegal drug trade".

After the completion of its initial investigations, the NIA filed a chargesheet against four suspects -- Razi Haider Zaidi, Shahid Ahmed, also known as Qazi Abdul Wadood, Nazir Ahmad Qani (Afghan national) and Vipin Mittal – on December 16, 2022.

The spokesperson said the multiple searches conducted on Tuesday have resulted in the recovery of significant incriminating materials, including documents and digital devices.

Investigations in this case remain open, the official said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.