ED conducts fresh raids in I-PAC linked premises in West Bengal coal 'scam' case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out fresh raids at premises linked to the executives of political consultancy firm I-PAC and others in several cities.

Sources close to the development said searches are underway in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi as part of an investigation into an alleged coal smuggling and pilferage scam lof West Bengal. The premises of I-PAC co-founder and director Rishi Raj Singh are among those covered,

The federal probe agency conducted raids in this case in January at the I-PAC office as well as at the Kolkata residence of its founder and one of the directors, Pratik Jain.

Singh and Jain were recently summoned by the ED to record their statements.

They have approached the Delhi High Court to quash these notices issued to them, citing ongoing election work in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, on January 15, the top court said the West Bengal chief minister's Mamata Banerjee alleged obstruction in the ED's probe is "very serious" and agreed to examine if a state's law-enforcing agencies can interfere with any central agency's investigation into any serious offence as it stayed FIRs against the ED officials who raided I-PAC.

The ED has alleged interference and obstruction by the state government, including by Banerjee, in its probe and search operation at the I-PAC office and the premises of its director, Pratik Jain, in connection with an alleged coal-pilferage scam.

The top court, while staying the FIRs filed in West Bengal against the ED officials, had also directed the state police to protect the CCTV footage of the raids.

It had issued notices to Banerjee, the West Bengal government, former state DGP Rajeev Kumar and top cops on the ED's petitions seeking a CBI probe against them for allegedly obstructing its raids.

(To be updated…)