Kolkata, March 28 – Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have been conducting simultaneous raids and searches in various locations in West Bengal since Saturday morning, including the state capital of Kolkata and its outskirts, in connection with a land scam case.
Sources aware of the development said that among the places where the central agency officials are conducting simultaneous raids and searches, include the office and residence of a prominent city-based businessman, who has close links with the ruling Trinamool Congress.
However, the ED officials refused to disclose the name of the said businessman.
Sources said that the raids and searches by the ED officials, accompanied by personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), began early on Saturday morning with the residence of the said businessman at a high-profile residential complex on Ballygunge Circular Road in South Kolkata.
The main allegation against the said businessman and the company owned by him is illegal land procurement and defrauding investors by enticing them to invest in specific projects, promising handsome returns on investments, among others.
The ED, sources said, started its investigation into the matter following several FIRs registered against the company and its owner at various police stations in the state.
The officers of the agency are currently examining various account-related documents, bank account details, and land deeds, among others.
While conducting the raid and search operations, the ED officials are also questioning various top officials and directors of the said corporate entity.
The ED's simultaneous raid and search operations since Saturday morning are taking place amid the crucial two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal on April 24 and April 29, with the Model Code of Conduct already in force.
To recall, on January 8 this year, the ED officials faced resistance while attempting raid and search operations at the office of the Indian Action Political Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder, Pratik Jain.
While the raid and search operations were on, the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, accompanied by top bureaucrats and police officers from the state, appeared at both the residence of Jain and the office of I-PAC one after another, and left with some files.
A case in this matter is currently being heard at the Supreme Court. Incidentally, I-PAC is the voter strategy agency of Trinamool Congress.