Kolkata, Sep 30 — The Enforcement Directorate (ED), accompanied by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, was conducting a raid and search operation at the residence of a local businessman in the coal belt of Andal in West Burdwan district of West Bengal on Wednesday.
Sources aware of the development said the businessman at whose residence the raid and search operation was being conducted is Dilip Turi. He is a contractor for supplying ambulances and four-wheelers to the two coal mines at Andal, owned by the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
He is also reportedly heading a non-government organisation (NGO).
Although the ED officials are yet to officially confirm the main reason behind this raid and search operation, it is learnt that the Central agency’s actions this morning were linked to the multi-crore coal smuggling case in West Bengal.
On Wednesday morning, several vehicles carrying ED officials and CAPF personnel arrived at Turi's residence. First, the CAPF personnel surrounded the entire house from all sides, and then the ED officials knocked on the main gate. However, the team of officials had to wait for some time as there was no immediate response from the house. After waiting for some time, the people from within the house opened the door.
Thereafter, the ED officials entered the house and started the raid and search operation. The investigating officials were also questioning the residents of the house, sources aware of the development said.
However, the specific charges against the businessman are not yet clear. It is learnt that besides West Bengal, Turi also has business interests in neighbouring Jharkhand.
An official statement from the ED is awaited.
For the last few days, ED, the investigation arm of the Union Finance Ministry, has become very active in West Bengal in several cases of money laundering, which the Central agency is investigating.
As regards the coal scam in West Bengal, ED has been probing the matter for quite some time and has also questioned several top Trinamool Congress leaders, state police officers, officers from the Central Industrial Security (CISF), and others.