ED raids at I-PAC premises across 3 cities in Bengal coal smuggling case
The ED conducted fresh searches at I-PAC-linked premises across Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the alleged coal smuggling case. Action targetted firm officials and followed earlier raids tied to alleged money laundering and hawala transactions.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out fresh raids at multiple premises linked to political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee, or I-PAC, in connection with the West Bengal coal smuggling case.
Raids were underway across Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Delhi as part of the agency's ongoing investigation into the alleged scam.
Officials said several locations associated with I-PAC were being searched simultaneously. The premises of Rishi Raj Singh, one of I-PAC's directors, in Bengaluru also came under the ED's scanner during the operation.
The searches are part of the central agency's continued crackdown in the coal smuggling case, which has seen multiple rounds of raids and arrests in recent years.
I-PAC has been closely involved in shaping election strategies for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress for the upcoming Bengal Assembly elections.
Earlier in January, the Enforcement Directorate had carried out searches at I-PAC's Kolkata office and at the premises of its other director, Pratik Jain, as part of the same money laundering probe linked to the alleged multi-crore coal scam.
The raids had triggered a major political flashpoint after Mamata Banerjee and several Trinamool leaders stormed into the I-PAC Salt Lake office while the searches were in progress. The ED had claimed that Banerjee removed key evidence, including documents and electronic devices, from the site.
Banerjee, however, rejected the allegations and accused the central agency of exceeding its mandate.
The ED later approached the High Court and then the Supreme Court seeking directions for an independent inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arguing that a neutral central agency is required in view of the alleged interference by the state government.
The central probe agency has claimed that nearly Rs 10 crore in alleged proceeds of crime were funnelled to I-PAC via hawala routes, with the firm receiving payments from the Trinamool Congress for its role in the 2022 Goa Assembly elections.