The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made a startling claim that a massive Rs 20 crore hawala transaction, originating from alleged coal smuggling proceeds in West Bengal, was meticulously routed to fund political campaigns, eventually reaching the political consultancy Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) during the Goa assembly elections in 2021-22. The agency presented these allegations in a petition before the Calcutta High Court, detailing a complex money trail designed to erase its origins.
The Intricate Hawala Trail
According to the ED's investigation, the illicit funds changed hands at least six times to obscure their source. The trail was allegedly traced to a former director of a New Delhi-based non-banking financial company, who contacted an individual identified as Munna to move the money. Munna then linked up with another member of a hawala network, facilitating the transfer to a manager of a Kolkata-based hawala firm.
In a statement to the ED, this hawala manager claimed he arranged for the cash delivery in Goa during the 2021-22 election period. The cash was purportedly to be handed over to an employee of an event management company, who then contacted the firm's director and its sister concern. The ED asserts that both these companies were handling events and campaign-related work for I-PAC during the Goa polls.
Coal Smuggling Syndicate as the Source
The central agency alleges that the proceeds of crime originated from a coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee. Majee is accused of stealing and illegally excavating coal from the premises of Eastern Coalfields Limited, a central public sector undertaking operating in parts of Bengal and Jharkhand.
The stolen coal was allegedly sold to factories and plants in several West Bengal districts, including Bankura, Purba Bardhaman, and Purulia. Factory owners paid in cash, which syndicate members collected and deposited at an office in Bhamuria, Asansol, in Paschim Bardhaman district, the ED stated.
ED Action and Political Link
The ED informed the court that I-PAC co-founder and director Pratik Jain handled the consultancy's Goa operations at the time. Based on these findings, the federal agency conducted searches on January 8 at 10 locations in New Delhi and Kolkata. One of the premises searched was Jain's residence on Loudon Street in central Kolkata.
The ED's petition is part of an ongoing probe into the coal smuggling case and the subsequent alleged laundering of its proceeds. It is crucial to note that these are allegations made in an investigation and are yet to be tested and proven in a court of law. The claims have added a significant political dimension to the already high-profile investigation into illegal coal mining and money laundering in Eastern India.
