India, Dec. 12 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s Mumbai unit on Thursday carried out searches at 40 premises as part of its money-laundering probe into a National Investigation Agency (NIA) case of November 2023 pertaining to the alleged activities of the Maharashtra ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) module. Apart from Padgha village in rural Thane, ED officials searched a few locations in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, and some places in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The searches focussed on tracing unauthorised proceeds from financial sources, including harvesting restricted forest products such as khair (Acacia Catechu) trees, and hawala trading, which could be providing financial sustenance to the accused network. ED officials said the ...