ED says I-PAC received proceeds of crime in West Bengal coal smuggling case, moves Calcutta HC

The ED said multiple pieces of evidence, including statements of various individuals, pointed to the hawala nexus.

• ED alleges I-PAC received funds linked to West Bengal coal smuggling syndicate
• ED alleges Mamata Banerjee, police hindered evidence collection during searches
• ED and I-PAC approach Calcutta HC over probe and search legality.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday (January 8) alleged that political consultancy firm India PAC Consulting Private Limited (I-PAC) received proceeds of crime linked to an alleged coal smuggling syndicate operating in West Bengal, according to an official handout issued by the central agency.

The ED has moved the Calcutta High Court seeking intervention, claiming obstruction during search operations carried out as part of a money laundering probe.

The searches were conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a case originating from a CBI FIR registered in Kolkata on November 27, 2020 against Anup Majee and others, it said.

The ED said it had recorded an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on November 28, 2020 and that subsequent investigation revealed the existence of a coal smuggling network that allegedly stole and illegally excavated coal from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) leasehold areas in the state.

According to the agency, the illegally mined coal was sold to several factories and plants across districts such as Bankura, Bardhaman and Purulia. “Investigation revealed that large part of this coal was sold to Shakambhari Group of companies,” the ED said, adding that the probe also uncovered a hawala channel used for laundering the proceeds.

ED Headquarters Unit is conducting search action at 10 premises (6 in West Bengal and 4 in Delhi) under PMLA in connection with coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee used to steal and illegally excavate coal from ECL leasehold areas of West Bengal. The search action was… pic.twitter.com/ab7PCReiJo

— ED (@dir_ed) January 8, 2026

The ED alleged that one hawala operator, linked to layering of the proceeds of crime from coal smuggling, facilitated transactions involving “tens of crores of rupees” to I-PAC. The agency said multiple pieces of evidence, including statements of various individuals, pointed to the hawala nexus. “IPAC is also one of the entities linked to hawala money,” the handout claimed.

As part of the action, the ED carried out searches at 10 locations — six in West Bengal and four in Delhi. The agency said the proceedings were initially conducted “in a peaceful and professional manner.” It added that senior police officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Kolkata, and the Officer-in-Charge of a local police station, visited one of the premises to verify the identity of ED officials and were shown the authorised officer’s identity card.

However, the ED alleged that the situation changed after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at one of the residential premises along with a large police contingent. In its statement, the agency claimed that Banerjee “entered the residential premises of Prateek Jain” and “took away key evidences including physical documents and electronic devices.”

The ED further alleged that the chief minister, along with her aides and state police personnel, later went to the I-PAC office premises and “forcibly removed physical documents and electronic evidences.” These actions, the agency said, resulted in obstruction of its ongoing investigation under the PMLA.

Rejecting allegations of political targeting, the ED clarified that “the search is evidence based and is not targeted at any political establishment.” It also said that no party office was searched and that the action was not linked to any elections, describing it instead as part of a routine crackdown on money laundering.

Meanwhile, both the ED and I-PAC have approached the Calcutta High Court. While the ED has sought directions to allow it to conduct the probe without hindrance, I-PAC has challenged the legality of the searches. The matter is likely to come up for hearing before Justice Suvra Ghosh.