KOLKATA: Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Rahul Navin, is likely to visit Kolkata for three days from January 22, 2026, two weeks after the agency raided the residence of I-PAC's director, Pratik Jain, and the organisation’s office on 8 January.
The ED chief’s visit to Kolkata is significant particularly at the backdrop against the raids at the two different places especially with the assembly elections in West Bengal scheduled to be held within the next few months.
ED sources at the CGO Complex at Salt Lake city, Navin is expected to hold meetings in different phases with senior officials of the investigating agency to take stock of different cases including the I-PAC matter in the eastern region.
He would also interact with his staff at the CGO Complex, the central agency’s eastern zonal headquarters, and undertake review of the cases being investigated in the zone.
He is also expected to take feedback from ED officers on the overall working conditions and security arrangements for them and the office premises, keeping in mind the recent developments, sources said.
The search operations carried out by the investigating agency at Jain’s Loudon Street residence and I-PAC office had prompted the West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo to storm in to the two places.
The Chief Minister had taken away incriminating documents and electronic devises including one laptop and one mobile phone from the two places amidst the ED raids.
The search operations was taken to the Supreme Court.
The apex court is hearing the matter where ED has claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her officials "obstructed" the searches, and took away "key" evidence.
The agency has sought a CBI investigation against them.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has said that the ED was attempting to take away its election-strategy-related documents from I-PAC premises just before the upcoming assembly polls in the state.
Navin had visited Kolkata immediately after the agency's search team was attacked in Sandeshkhali in South 24 Parganas district in January 2024.
He had then met his officers, reviewed the security and operational arrangements and had also called on West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose.