The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made a significant claim before the Calcutta High Court, alleging that a massive sum of Rs 20 crore, identified as proceeds of crime from a coal smuggling syndicate, was transferred to the political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) through illicit hawala channels. The agency stated this money was used to support I-PAC's operations in Goa during the 2021-2022 period.
The Coal Smuggling Scam and the Money Trail
The investigation originates from a CBI FIR dated November 27, 2020, against Anup Majee alias Lala and several officials of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL). The FIR accused them of illegal excavation and theft of coal from ECL's leasehold areas in connivance with officials from various departments.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED's probe revealed that between December 2017 and October 2020, the syndicate generated a staggering Rs 2,742.32 crore in proceeds of crime. Payments were collected in cash at the syndicate's office in Bhamuria No 1.
From this vast amount, the ED's petition claims, approximately Rs 20 crore was moved from Kolkata to Goa using a "complex hawala network" involving a firm identified as 'R Kanti Lal'. The agency bases this on scrutiny of digital evidence seized earlier by the Income-Tax Department.
How the Funds Were Allegedly Transferred and Used
The ED has detailed a specific trail for the funds. According to their petition, the money moved from financier Jitender Mehta (ex-director of Akasa Finance Limited) to Mukesh Thakkar (alias Munna), then to Mukesh Patel of Rajesh Maganlal firm, and finally to Alpesh Patel, manager of R. Kantilal.
In Goa, the funds were allegedly handled by Sagar Kumar Patel and delivered to Akshay Kumar, an employee of M/s Hertz and Pixelz and M/s ASM Event Technology Private Limited. The ED alleges these firms were subsequently hired by I-PAC for event management work.
The petition specifically names Pratik Jain, Co-founder and Director of I-PAC, as having handled the firm's operations in Goa where these funds were purportedly utilized. I-PAC, founded by strategist Prashant Kishor, is currently managing the election campaigns of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Recent Raids and Political Fallout
On Thursday, January 9, 2026, the ED conducted searches at 10 premises linked to I-PAC in Kolkata and Delhi, including the residence of director Pratik Jain in Kolkata. The raids led to dramatic scenes as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at Jain's residence during the search operation.
Banerjee walked out holding a green plastic folder and a laptop, claiming they contained important information about her party. The TMC and the central agency have since filed counter petitions in the Calcutta High Court regarding the raids.
The broader probe into Majee's syndicate has seen multiple high-profile arrests over the years by both the CBI and ED. These include former inspector-in-charge of Bankura police station, Ashok Kumar Mishra, arrested in April 2021 for allegedly facilitating the safe passage of trucks and movement of cash under police protection.
ED sources indicate the agency is now focusing on the hawala operators and handlers who moved the money to private firms, uncovering new firms with links to Kolkata-based businessmen in the process.
