New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate Thursday raided the workplace of political consultancy agency Indian Political Motion Committee (I-PAC) and the Kolkata home of its head Pratik Jain as a part of investigation into alleged hawala fund transfers in a coal smuggling case, ThePrint has learnt.

The raids have been half of a bigger operation concentrating on roughly 10 areas in Kolkata and Delhi, sources stated.

The nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the TMC’s nationwide normal secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, alongside along with his spouse have been earlier summoned for questioning in the identical case.

CM Banerjee rushed to Jain’s Loudon Road residence shortly after experiences of the raids emerged, alleging that the company was trying to gather details about her celebration’s actions and plans. West Bengal is ready to go to polls this yr.

“I rang up Pratik, he’s answerable for my celebration. I’ve collected the celebration file. ED is making an attempt to get particulars of all our celebration actions and plans,” Banerjee stated outdoors Jain’s residence.

“They’re making an attempt to get the candidate checklist and our inner data. Is it the responsibility of ED and Amit Shah (Union Residence Minister)? See, I bought this, the file and the laborious drive. What if I raid the BJP celebration workplace? What would be the fallout?” she stated, displaying a inexperienced file she stated got here from inside Jain’s home.

ED sources denied amassing any knowledge on political events or candidates. “No such knowledge has been collected or retrieved from the premises below search, and neither is that our goal. The topic’s function has emerged throughout the investigation, and the search motion has been initiated solely after the function of Jain emerged in hawala transfers working into tens of crores throughout the investigation within the ongoing coal smuggling case,” an ED official informed ThePrint.

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In response to ED sources, the company’s probe stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case in opposition to Anup Majee and a number of other Japanese Coalfield Restricted officers on allegations of unlawful coal excavation and theft in leasehold areas in West Bengal.

Primarily based on CBI’s FIR, filed in November 2020, ED launched a cash laundering investigation and allegedly discovered that the coal smuggling syndicate illegally excavated roughly 25.51 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of coal price round Rs 1,114.35 crore.

The company has alleged that the syndicate led by Majee constructed an organised gang that carried out large-scale unlawful coal mining utilizing heavy mining equipment, earth movers and explosives below the safety and patronage of influential individuals within the space.

The syndicates allegedly paid bribes to public servants and different influential individuals who patronised the unlawful mining enterprise. “The proceeds of crime have been additionally transferred abroad within the financial institution accounts of people having shut household ties with individuals having political clout,” the company alleged in earlier court docket filings on the case.

(Edited by Prerna Madan)

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