KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing a money laundering case linked to an alleged mining and coal smuggling scam, intensified its investigation on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.
A team of ED officials conducted raids at the Durgapur residence of Manoranjan Mondal, former officer-in-charge (OC) of Budbud police station in Bardhaman district.
Central forces cordoned off the entire residential complex at Durgapur City Centre from the morning as ED officials carried out the raids.
Sources said investigators also questioned Mondal’s family members in phases and continued the search at the premises through the afternoon. It was not immediately confirmed whether Mondal was present at the residence when the operation began.
The ED pasted a notice at the entrance of the house asking Mondal to appear before the inquiry team on the afternoon of March 13. This is the third time he has been summoned by the agency in connection with alleged illegal money transactions linked to the case.
The latest action is part of a wider investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to sources, raids were conducted at around nine premises linked to several individuals, including Mondal, Jamuria-based businessman Ramesh Bansal, Kiran Khan, Prabir Dutta and Sheikh Akhtar.
Officials of the agency allegedly recovered cash worth around RS 70 lakh from Bansal’s residence during the searches.
On 3 February, the ED had carried out raids at the Kolkata residence of Prateek Jain, director of I-PAC, a private political consultancy firm engaged by the Trinamool Congress, as well as at the firm’s Salt Lake office on January 8. The searches at Mondal’s residence were separate from those operations.
Mondal had taken charge as OC of Budbud police station at the end of January but was later removed from the post and transferred to the Intelligence Branch following instructions from the state secretariat, Nabanna.
He had earlier faced suspension by the Mamata Banerjee government over alleged links to the same scam. In 2024, he was suspended while serving as OC of Baraboni police station in the coal belt of the Asansol subdivision on the Chief Minister’s instructions.