Kolkata, 30 October (H.S.) : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has once again launched a major crackdown in West Bengal, conducting simultaneous search operations across four districts in connection with a Rs 290-crore bank fraud case involving a private company. Accompanied by central armed police forces, ED officials initiated the raids early Friday morning in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, and Asansol. According to agency sources, the investigation centers on allegations that funds from a power plant in Jharkhand were illegally diverted to Kolkata. Investigators claim that shell companies were deliberately created to launder massive amounts of black money, prompting this extensive search operation.

Sources revealed that investigators raided the residence of Chartered Accountant Tarun Kumar Jain in Howrah's Vivek Vihar early Friday and began scrutinizing various documents.

Simultaneously, another ED team reached the residence of Chartered Accountant Sudipta Ghosh on Shibtala Street in Hooghly's Uttarpara.

Furthermore, search operations by the central agency are continuously underway at the residences of two other chartered accountants located in Kolkata's Lake Town and Asansol in the Paschim Bardhaman district.

Reacting to the ongoing raids, Uttarpara-based Chartered Accountant Sudipta Ghosh stated that the officials had visited his residence with prior permission from the court. He clarified that the ED is conducting its investigation and asserted that the matter has no connection to any corruption, though he did not specify the exact complaint forming the basis of the probe. Currently, investigators are conducting an in-depth inquiry to identify the individuals involved in this large-scale financial transaction and to uncover the exact methods used to siphon funds through fake companies. The ED has not yet released any official statement regarding the recovery of any significant documents or evidence during the ongoing search operations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh