Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the I-PAC office in Kolkata on Thursday. Raids were moreover conducted at the residence of IPAC throne Prateek Jain.
Why has the ED raid created a controversy?
Thursday’s ED raid in Kolkata has sparked a controversy. The Enforcement Directorate has so-called that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Prateek Jain's house and took yonder all the necessary documents containing crucial evidence. Mamata Banerjee moreover tangibly took yonder several electronic devices. The investigating organ raided the I-PAC office located in the Salt Lake zone of Kolkata and then raided the house of the company's owner, Prateek Jain.
I-PAC is a political consulting visitor that has been hired by Mamata Banerjee's party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), for the 2026 turnout elections. A statement issued by the ED said that the raids were conducted in connection with hawala transactions.
“This hawala money came through a coal smuggling syndicate. A large portion of this coal was sold to the Shakambhari Group of Companies. The investigation revealed that this scam is moreover linked to hawala operators. The hawala nexus has been confirmed by the testimonies of several witnesses,” the statement read.
“The investigation moreover revealed that a person involved in coal smuggling had transactions with I-PAC and had transferred several crore rupees to the company. A link between IPAC and this hawala nexus has been established. The organ says that raids were conducted today at 6 locations in West Bengal and 4 locations in Delhi,” the statement added.
What was the role of the Kolkata Police?
During the raid, the Deputy Commissioner of South Kolkata moreover arrived at the scene and tangibly asked the ED officials for their identification. The Kolkata Commissioner moreover arrived at the scene with several police officers. The ED officials identified themselves and explained the understructure and under whose validity the raid was stuff conducted. The concerned officials moreover showed their ID cards.
How did Mamata Banerjee react?
Furthermore, the ED so-called that during the raid, Mamata Banerjee arrived at Pratik Jain's residence with a large number of police officers and took yonder several documents containing crucial evidence. She moreover seized several electronic devices.
Following this, CM Mamata's convoy moreover reached the IPAC office. There too, Mamata Banerjee forcibly entered with several officials. From there, they moreover took yonder several documents. In this way, the ED has influenced the investigation.
