Page 2 - Enforcement Directorate

I-PAC raids: Kolkata Police begin probe against 'unidentified' ED officials

Kolkata Police on Saturday started the process of identifying Enforcement Directorate officials allegedly involved in the theft of documents from the residence of I-PAC chief Pratik Jain and the consultancy firm's office here, after an FIR was filed, a senior officer said. Police are also trying to identify the central agency personnel present at both locations during the operation, he said. On Saturday morning, officers from Shakespeare Sarani Police Station visited Jain's residence and collected CCTV footage and DVR recordings, he said. "Statements of household staff and security personnel were also recorded. Once identification is complete, notices will be issued to the accused," the officer said. TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Friday lodged two police complaints against the ED in connection with the agency's raids at the office of I-PAC and the residence of Prateek Jain. Based on the complaints, the Kolkata and Bidhannagar Police filed FIRs and initiated an ...

ED raids on I-PAC: Bengal govt files caveat in SC seeking hearing

The West Bengal government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court seeking that no order should be passed without hearing it in connection with Enforcement Directorate raids against political consultancy firm I-PAC. A caveat is filed by a litigant in the high courts and the Supreme Court to ensure that no adverse order is passed against it without it being heard. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday conducted searches on the premises of I-PAC and its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata as part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam. According to the agency, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee entered the raid sites and took away "key" evidence, including physical documents and electronic devices. Banerjee has accused the central agency of overreach. The ED on Friday approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI probe against Banerjee, alleging that she, with the aid of the police, took away incriminating documents from the

ED searches at I-PAC office aimed at stealing TMC strategy: Mamata

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the role of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, senior police officials and others for allegedly obstructing its raids in Kolkata against political consultancy firm I-PAC and its director. PTI has reviewed the writ petition of the federal probe agency, where it has also sought "immediate seizure, sealing, forensic preservation, and restoration to lawful custody of the ED" all digital devices, electronic records, storage media, and documents "illegally and forcibly" taken away from the search premises. The high court is expected to hear the petition on Friday. The search was mounted on Thursday at the Salt Lake office of I-PAC and its founder and one of the directors Pratik Gandhi as part of an alleged coal scam-linked money laundering case. Some other locations in the state and Delhi were also raided. The ED had alleged in a press statement on Thursday that Banerjee ...

Mehbooba calls Mamata Banerjee 'tigress' amid ED raids in West Bengal

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Friday described West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a "tigress", saying the TMC chief is "very brave" and will not surrender. Mufti was reacting to the Thursday's ED searches at the office of the political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata. The action ignited high drama with the West Bengal chief minister storming at the raid site, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC's sensitive data ahead of the state polls. Mufti said that while such raids by ED or other investigative agencies has become a normal thing in Jammu and Kashmir, "the whole country is tasting it now". "When Article 370 was revoked, when raids took place and when three CMs were put behind bars, majority of political parties maintained silence. Now, that is being witnessed across the country," she added, referring to the detention of herself, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah in the wake of the abrogation of .

'Extortion Directorate sent to loot, plunder': Mahua on I-PAC office raid

The TMC MPs had gathered outside the Home Ministry in Delhi, raising slogans against Amit Shah, alleging "misuse" of the probe agency

TMC seeks restraint on misuse of documents seized by ED during I-PAC raids

The TMC on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court against the ED raids at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its chief here, seeking restraint on misuse and dissemination of documents seized during the search operations. The ruling party in West Bengal, in its petition, alleged that the ED seized sensitive and confidential political data meant for the TMC's use in the upcoming assembly elections, in a display of arbitrary, mala fide, and colourable exercise of power. PTI has accessed the synopsis of the petition, which refers to the probe agency's search and seizure operations under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, on January 8. The ED maintained that the operations were part of a probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam. The petitioner submits that the seized articles and electronic data consist of confidential political data/information/documents relating to campaign strategy, internal assessments, resear

Bengal guv flags constitutional breach by Mamata over ED raid interference

CV Ananda Bose emphasised the gravity of Mamata Banerjee's actions, which he said are punishable under law and violate constitutional rights

Only Supreme Court can rein in ED: Kapil Sibal after raids on I-PAC

A day after the ED conducted searches at the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said federalism is at ED's mercy and asserted that only the Supreme Court can rein in the probe agency. Sibal's remarks came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action in West Bengal ignited high drama, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unexpectedly storming into the sites during raids, alleging that the central agency was trying to seize the TMC's sensitive data ahead of the high-stakes state polls. The ED, which maintained that the searches were part of a money laundering probe into an alleged multi-crore rupee coal pilferage scam, accused Banerjee of obstructing a lawful investigation and claimed that she and the state police forcibly removed "key evidence" during the raids. In a post on X, Sibal said, "Only Supreme Court can rein in ED. Every opposition state, every significant opposition leade

ED moves Calcutta HC as Mamata arrives at I-PAC official's home during raid

In a statement issued later in the day, the ED alleged that its proceedings were disrupted after the chief minister arrived at the residence along with a large number of police officials

ED tried to seize TMC's data during raid at I-PAC chief's home: CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that ED officials were attempting to seize TMC's hard disks, internal documents and sensitive organisational data during a search operation at the residence of I-PAC chief Prateek Jain here. She described the raid at the residence of Jain as politically motivated and unconstitutional. I-PAC also looks after the IT cell of the Trinamool Congress. Banerjee made the allegations after emerging from Jain's Loudon Street residence here, where searches have been underway since Thursday morning. Search operations were also being conducted at the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), the consultancy firm Jain heads. Claiming that the ED was trying to access the ruling party's internal strategy, candidate lists and confidential digital material, Banerjee said such information had no link to any financial probe. They are trying to take our party's hard disk, strategy and plans. Is it the duty of the ED to coll

ED attaches assets worth ₹2.67 crore in railway freight charge fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has attached properties worth Rs 2.67 crore as part of a money laundering investigation against a Guwahati-based company and its promoter in a railway freight charges and GST "evasion" case. A four-storey commercial building and another immovable property located in Gurugram (Haryana) of companies named Vinayak Logistics India, Vinayak Logistics and their owner and director, Pravesh Kabra, have been provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED case stems from a chargesheet filed by the CBI in a case where it was alleged that the accused "wilfully" misdeclared high-freight commodities such as marble powder, waste marble powder and dolomite as low-freight goods like alum powder and putty, the federal probe agency said in a statement. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR in this case in August 2023. The accused unlawfully reduced their cargo liability and this "calculated ...

All my transactions were legal, says actor Jayasurya after ED questioning

After the ED questioned him and his wife Saritha in connection with a money laundering probe, actor Jayasurya said on Friday that all his financial transactions were legal. Jayasurya and his wife were questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of an investigation into an online investment scheme called 'Save Box', allegedly operated by Swathi Rahim, who faces many cheating cases. The ED was probing alleged money laundering linked to the scheme and has found financial transactions involving Jayasurya, who was roped in as a brand ambassador. "How can we guess what people who approach us for advertisements will do in the future? Jayasurya said in a post on his Instagram page. Stating that he had only entered into legitimate transactions, the actor said, "I am an ordinary, responsible citizen who followed all rules and paid taxes to the government exchequer". Jayasurya said he first appeared before the ED on December 24 a

ED freezes fresh ₹192-cr deposits of WinZO in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has conducted searches at the accounting firm of real money online money gaming app WinZO and has frozen fresh bank deposits, mutual funds and fixed deposits worth Rs 192 crore. The raid at the office premises of the auditor was conducted on December 30. During the search, the federal probe agency said in a statement, "proceeds of crime" (name for illicit funds under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act) possessed by ZO Games Pvt. Ltd. (fully owned Indian subsidiary of Winzo Pvt. Ltd.) worth around Rs 192 crore were frozen. These funds are in the form of bank balances, fixed deposits and mutual funds, it said. In November, the agency had arrested the founders of WinZO -- Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda following their questioning at the Bengaluru zonal office of the ED. A Bengaluru court granted bail to Rathore a few days ago while a similar relief was denied to Nanda. The ED had conducted the first round of raids in th

ED attaches property worth ₹150 crore near Buckingham Palace in London

The Enforcement Directorate has attached an immovable property worth Rs 150 crore near the Buckingham Palace in London in a case of alleged bank loan fraud linked to money laundering involving textile major S Kumars Nationwide Ltd and its ex CMD Nitin Kasliwal. The federal probe agency said in a statement on Wednesday that a provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday to attach the asset. The high-value property valued at Rs 150 crore near the Buckingham Palace is held under the beneficial ownership of Nitin Shambhukumar Kasliwal and his family members, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. Kasliwal is accused of defrauding a consortium of Indian banks to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore, it said. After attaching assets located abroad, the ED approaches its counterpart agencies in that country to take possession of such properties under the criminal provisions of the anti-money laundering law. The agency alleged that Kasliwal, through S .

WinZO ED case: Saumya Rathore gets bail, Paavan Nanda denied in PMLA probe

A Bengaluru court granted bail to WinZO cofounder Saumya Singh Rathore, while denying relief to Paavan Nanda and extending his ED custody in the alleged ₹177 crore money laundering case

ED issues notice to interrogate Ex-MLA in KFC loan misappropriation case

The ED, probing the alleged misappropriation of loans by former MLA P V Anvar from the Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC), has issued a notice asking him to appear for interrogation, officials said on Monday. Sources told PTI that Anvar has been asked to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Kochi on December 31. Officials said the notice was sent to Anvar by post and email. Anvar is currently associated with the All India Trinamool Congress, which was recently included as an associate party of the UDF. The ED had carried out raids at the residences and business premises linked to Anvar in Malappuram in November this year. The agency is probing a Rs 7.5 crore loan granted by the KFC to Malamkulam Constructions, a firm associated with Anvar, in 2015. Subsequently, loans amounting to Rs 3.05 crore and Rs 1.56 crore were sanctioned to Pee Vee Aar Developers using the same collateral properties within a short interval, resulting in a total non-performing asset (NPA

ED files final chargesheet naming 59 more in Chhattisgarh liquor scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed a final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 people, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81. The final prosecution complaint was filed before the PMLA court here, complying with the Supreme Court's directions, the ED's counsel, Saurabh Kumar Pande, told PTI. Earlier, 22 persons were named as accused in the case, and several of them were arrested. After completing the investigation related to those accused, prosecution complaints were filed against them in the past, he said. The final prosecution complaint has now been filed against 59 more persons against whom investigation has been completed, Pande said. The 59 include Soumya Chaurasia, the then deputy secretary at the Chief Minister's office, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, distributors and excise department officials, he said. The prosecution's complaint summary runs into 315 pages

National Herald case: Delhi HC seeks response from Gandhis on ED plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others to respond to a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a trial court order refusing to take cognisance of its chargesheet against them in the National Herald case. Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued notice to the Gandhis and others on the main petition as well as on the ED's application seeking a stay on the December 16 trial court order, which held that cognisance of the agency's complaint in the case was "impermissible in law" as it was not founded on an FIR The high court listed the matter for further hearing on March 12, 2026. While Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the ED in the case, senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and R S Cheema represented the Gandhis. In its order, the trial court said an investigation and the consequent prosecution complaint (equivalent to chargesheet) pertaining to the offence of money laundering is "not maintainable" in the absence of an FIR

RBI has allowed compounding of Fema case against Genpact India: ED

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said the RBI had issued a compounding order for Genpact India, against a one-time payment, resulting in termination of a FEMA against the technology major. The agency had filed a complaint against the company in October 2018 for alleged contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to the tune of about Rs 26 crore. It issued a show cause notice to the firm and its directors in the same month ( and initiated adjudication proceedings. Genpact subsequently filed an application before the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for compounding of the said FEMA "contraventions". On reference from the RBI, the ED issued "no objection" for such compounding in line with the true spirit of the Act (FEMA), and the banking regulator compounded the offence through an order issued on October 17 with a one-time payment of Rs 4.72 lakh to be made by the company, the ED said in a statement. A compounding order in the regulatory context means a formal deci

AgustaWestland case: Court orders Christian Michel's release from custody

However, he will remain in jail as he is also an accused in a separate corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter