ED arrests I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel in Bengal coal scam money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, April 13, arrested Vinesh Chandel in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged West Bengal coal scam, officials said. Vinesh Chandel is a director and co-founder of political consultancy firm I-PAC.

Vinesh Chandel was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Delhi, they said. He was taken into custody after his properties in Delhi were raided by the law enforcement agency, PTI reported.

Apart from his premises, properties linked to another I-PAC co-founder and director Rishi Raj Singh in Bengaluru and of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair in Mumbai were also searched by the ED on April 2.

Earlier in January 2026, the agency had conducted raids at the I-PAC office and the Kolkata residence of its founder and one of the directors, Pratik Jain. This raids ended in a controversy after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the location during the raids along with state government officials.

When the ED moved the Supreme Court for allegedly “obstruction in the probe” incident, the top court termed the allegations as “very serious” and agreed to examine whether a state's law-enforcing agencies can interfere with any central agency's investigation into any serious offence.

ED had also filed a petition seeking a CBI probe against Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal government, DGP Rajeev Kumar and top cops for allegedly obstructing the raids. The Supreme Court issued notices to the chief minister, Bengal government, the DGP and others over the petition.

The bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul Pancholi said, “According to us, adherence to the rule of law in the country and to allow each organ to function independently, it is necessary to examine the issue so that the offenders are not allowed to be protected under the shield of law-enforcing agencies of a particular state.”

“Larger questions are involved and have been raised, which, if allowed to remain undecided, would further worsen the situation, and there will be a situation of lawlessness prevailing in one or the other state, considering that different outfits are governing different places,” the bench said.

The ED had said in a statement that a "hawala" operator linked to this alleged coal-smuggling ring had facilitated transactions of tens of crores of rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited, the registered company of I-PAC.

(With agency inputs)