ED Raids Premises Linked To Coldrif Maker After Several Children’s Death

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted a major raid at the residence of S. Ranganathan, owner of Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the company behind the infamous Coldrif cough syrup linked to the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The central agency’s Chennai unit also carried out searches at seven other company-linked premises across the city under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In addition, residences of senior officials from the Tamil Nadu drug control office were also inspected, signaling a widening probe into regulatory lapses.

The raids follow Ranganathan’s arrest last week in Chennai. The Sresan Pharma owner was taken into custody after Madhya Pradesh Police dispatched teams to Chennai and Kanchipuram. His arrest comes in connection with at least 20 child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, traced back to the consumption of the contaminated syrup. Authorities had registered cases under Sections 105 and 276 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as the 27A Act.

A Decade of Lapses

Licensed in 2011 by the Tamil Nadu Food and Drug Administration (TNFDA), Sresan Pharma reportedly continued operations for over a decade despite serious deficiencies in infrastructure and repeated violations of national drug safety norms, according to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation.

Medical examinations revealed that Coldrif contained highly toxic chemicals that severely affected the kidneys of young children. Symptoms of acute renal failure appeared within hours of consumption, leading to rapid health deterioration. Tragically, most victims were under the age of five. Laboratory tests confirmed the syrup was adulterated with Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a deadly chemical.

In response to the public health crisis, several states, including Punjab, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, have banned the syrup.

Meanwhile, the Chhindwara district administration has stepped up its efforts, sealing five medical stores and sending syrup samples for comprehensive laboratory testing.