ED explains I-PAC raids, alleges CM obstructed probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday explained the basis of its searches at the residence and office of Pratik Jain, director of political consultancy firm Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited (I-PAC), linking the operation to its ongoing investigation into the multi-crore coal smuggling case in West Bengal.

According to ED sources, coordinated searches were carried out at 10 locations across the country on Thursday ~ six in West Bengal and four in Delhi ~ as part of the money laundering probe related to the alleged coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee, also known as Lala. Two of the searched premises belonged to Prateek Jain, his residence at Loudon Street and I-PAC’s office at Godrej Waterside in Kolkata. In an official statement, the ED said investigations revealed that coal illegally excavated and stolen from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) leasehold areas was sold to multiple companies in Bankura, Burdwan, Purulia and other districts of West Bengal.

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A significant portion of the illegally mined coal, the agency claimed, was sold to the Shakambhari Group of Companies. The probe further uncovered an alleged hawala network used to launder proceeds of the coal smuggling operation. “Multiple pieces of evidence, including statements of various persons, confirmed the hawala nexus,” the ED said, adding that one hawala operator facilitated transactions worth tens of crores of rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited. The agency claimed that transactions amounting to around Rs 10 crore were routed through hawala channels with I-PAC acting as an intermediary.

The ED said Prateek Jain’s name surfaced during the course of the investigation based on statements of several accused persons, who allegedly spoke of financial transactions conducted through him or under his mediation. The search operation, however, took a dramatic turn when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the premises during the ongoing raid. The ED accused the Chief Minister of entering Jain’s residence and later the I-PAC office, accompanied by state police officials, and removing key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. “Search proceedings were being conducted in a peaceful and professional manner till the arrival of the Chief Minister along with a large number of police officials,” the ED alleged, claiming that the actions amounted to obstruction of proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency asserted that “no party office has been searched” and that the action was “not linked to any elections or political establishment.”

The ED clarified that the investigation is based on a CBI FIR dated 27 November in 2020, registered against Anup Majee and others, following which the ED recorded an ECIR on 28 November in 2020. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, however, alleged that the central agency was attempting to seize sensitive political documents, including hard disks and candidate-related lists, from her party’s IT wing operating from the I-PAC office.