LUCKNOW, Sept. 2 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Lucknow Zonal Office, searched 14 premises across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu, Madhya Pradesh, the National Capital Region (NCR) and Kolkata on Wednesday, in a money-laundering probe. The investigation entails alleged fraudulent toll collection at multiple National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) toll plazas, confirmed senior ED officials, while sharing details here in Lucknow.

A senior ED official said the searches, conducted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, are aimed at unearthing the financial and digital trail of the alleged fraud, identifying beneficiaries and tracing suspected proceeds of crime.

He said the agency's in...