West Bengal coal smuggling case: ED raids I-PAC offices in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday launched a fresh series of raids across three cities in India, targeting the offices linked to political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) in connection with the ongoing investigation into the West Bengal coal smuggling case.

Raids were conducted at multiple locations, with premises in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi being searched simultaneously. The operation is part of the ED's continued investigation into the alleged coal scam.

As part of the operation, the premises of Rishi Raj Singh, one of I-PAC's directors, were also raided in Bengaluru. 

This is the second time the agency has raided I-PAC offices.

In January this year, the ED conducted searches at I-PAC's office in Kolkata and the home of its director, Pratik Jain.

The I-PAC's office in Salt Lake and Jain's house on Loudon Street were among about 10 premises, including four in Delhi, raided by the ED.

The ED action against Jain, co-founder of I-PAC and an IIT-Bombay alumnus, was triggered by the emergence of "specific" evidence linking him to hawala transactions and cash deals related to the ongoing coal scam investigation in West Bengal.

Jain is also the head of the IT cell of the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal.

The ED case is based on a November 2020 FIR filed by the CBI, which alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields mines in West Bengal’s Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol. Local coal operator Anup Majhi, alias Lala, is the prime suspect in the case.

The ED earlier questioned Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, the 38-year-old nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and claimed that he was a beneficiary of the funds obtained from the illegal coal trade.

I-PAC was founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He later moved on to form a political outfit called Jan Suraaj.

(With inputs from Munish Chandra Pandey)