Last Updated on January 8, 2026 9:11 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
AMN
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today conducted search operations at ten locations in West Bengal and Delhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a coal smuggling syndicate. This includes six locations in West Bengal and four in Delhi. The ED said its investigation revealed that a coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee was involved in illegal coal theft and excavation from Eastern Coalfields Limited leasehold areas in West Bengal. The agency said the illegally mined coal was sold to factories and plants in Bankura, Bardhaman, Purulia, and other districts of the state.
The ED has stressed that the search operation conducted at the offices of I-PAC in West Bengal was evidence-based and not targeted at any political establishment. Responding to West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee’s allegations that attempts were being made to seize important documents, including the party’s candidate lists, the ED said that no party office was searched and that the operation was not linked to any election. It said the searches were part of a regular crackdown on money laundering and were conducted strictly in accordance with legal procedures.
The agency said, search operation was carried out peacefully until the arrival of the West Bengal Chief Minister along with police personnel and state administration officials. It is alleged that physical documents and electronic evidence were forcibly removed from two premises.
On the ED search operation, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, ED and CBI are the investigation agencies of the country, and they conduct operations based on their inputs.
Addressing the media in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee alleged that the investigation was an attempt to seize confidential party documents ahead of elections. Meanwhile state BJP has condemned the incident in which the Chief Minister allegedly seized documents and electronic devices from ED officials. At a press conference in Kolkata today, the party’s state president, Shamik Bhattacharya, said that Mamata Banerjee has hammered the final nail into the coffin of her own image. He said, this act is completely unlawful, and an attempt to destroy evidence and shield offenders.
Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari has also accused the Chief Minister of obstructing the ED’s investigation and demanded legal action against her.
In response to alleged obstruction of its probe into the coal smuggling case, the ED has approached the Calcutta High Court. ED’s counsel Dhiraj Trivedi informed Justice Shubhra Ghosh’s bench that the Chief Minister was interfering with the agency’s work while the police remained inactive, and sought immediate court intervention. Justice Ghosh has granted permission to file a case, which may be heard tomorrow.
I-PAC also drew the court’s attention, with its lawyers Sabyasachi Banerjee and Ayan Bhattacharya alleging that attempts were being made to seize all their files. They requested an immediate stay on the ED’s search.