LUCKNOW, June 18 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out simultaneous searches in four locations in Uttar Pradesh as part of a crackdown against a module that involves supplying tramadol, whose sale is strictly monitored in the country, to addicts, officials in the agency confirmed, adding two of these locations were in Lucknow.

Several illicit substances and incriminating evidence were seized during the searches by the agency's Jalandhar unit, the officials said. The operation is likely to continue till Wednesday.

A senior ED official said simultaneous searches were carried out at 15 locations in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra as part of the investigation against ...