Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), heavily escorted by Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, on Friday was conducting raids and search operations in around five locations in and around Kolkata in connection with a multi-crore illegal land-grabbing case.
Incidentally, the ED operations are taking place simultaneously with similar raid and search operations being conducted by the Income Tax Department officials at the residence and electoral camp office of Debasish Kumar, the veteran Trinamool Congress legislator and also Member of the Mayor-in-Council (MMIC) of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Kumar has been re-nominated as a candidate by his party from his native Rashbehari Assembly Constituency in South Kolkata.
Sources aware of the development said that the ED raids were mainly taking place at the offices of a real estate company, allegedly involved in the illegal land-grabbing case. The raid and search operation by the ED officials is also taking place at the residence of a chartered accountant.
Sources said earlier this month, the ED officials conducted raids and search operations at various offices of the same real estate company, and during those operations, the name of Kumar surfaced as being involved in the matter.
ED officials, sources said, are trying to establish links of politically influential persons from West Bengal in the illegal land-grabbing-related money-laundering case involving that real estate company.
Based on the initial evidence gathered by the ED officials regarding this issue, the investigators are convinced that the execution of the land-grabbing-related money laundering scam, without the participation of politically powerful individuals, would not have been possible.
The main charge against the promoters of the real estate company is that they fabricated and forged documents and fraudulently acquired various parcels of land, including public land, and subsequently exploited the land commercially by launching large-scale real estate projects.
On April 1, the Enforcement Directorate recovered more than Rs one crore in cash from the house of a company executive in the Behala area of the city. Unlicensed weapons were also recovered from the house of a businessman in the Kasba area of Kolkata.
More details and official confirmations are awaited.
(IANS)
