The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Thursday that it was conducting raids in Kolkata in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case involving Anup Majee and others, and that the proceedings were being carried out peacefully and professionally until the arrival of the West Bengal Chief Minister.

According to the ED, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by a large number of police officers, entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain and removed key evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices.

The agency further alleged that the Chief Minister’s convoy then proceeded to the office premises of Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), from where Banerjee, her aides, and state police personnel forcibly removed additional documents and electronic evidence.

The ED case is based on a CBI FIR registered in 2020. During the investigation, the agency claimed to have uncovered a coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee, which allegedly stole and illegally excavated coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) leasehold areas in West Bengal.

The coal was subsequently sold to factories and plants in Bankura, Bardhaman, Purulia, and other districts.

“Investigation revealed that a substantial portion of the illegally mined coal was sold to the Shakambhari Group of companies. Links with hawala operators were also uncovered, and multiple pieces of evidence, including statements of various persons, confirmed the hawala nexus,” the ED said.

An official added that one hawala operator, involved in layering the proceeds of the coal smuggling crime, facilitated transactions worth tens of crores of rupees to I-PAC Consulting Private Limited.

“Persons connected with the generation of proceeds of crime, hawala operators, and handlers are covered under the PMLA searches. I-PAC is also among the entities linked to hawala money. During today’s operation, six premises in West Bengal and four premises in Delhi were searched,” the official said.

During the searches, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Kolkata) and the Officer-in-Charge of Sarani Police Station arrived at one of the premises to verify the identities of the ED officials. The Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, later entered the premises with several officers and was briefed on the proceedings by the authorised officer, who also produced his identity card.

The ED stated that proceedings were being conducted peacefully until the arrival of the Chief Minister with a large police contingent, after which key evidence was allegedly removed from both the residential and office premises.

The agency said these actions had obstructed the ongoing investigation under the PMLA.

Clarifying its position, the ED said the searches were evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. “No party office has been searched, and the action is not linked to any elections. It is part of a routine crackdown on money laundering and is being conducted strictly in accordance with established legal safeguards,” the official said.