KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday carried out searches at more than 20 locations in West Bengal including state capital Kolkata, in connection with its money laundering probe linked to illegal sand mining.
An ED official said the raids started at 6am on Monday in Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Midnapore districts.
ED teams searched the offices of a private firm at Salt Lake dealing with sand mining, the residences of its top official and locations linked to an employee Gopiballavpur in Jhargram. An insurance agent’s house in Kolkata’s Regent Colony area was also raided.
“Sand is legally extracted from blocks along the rivers’ banks, which are auctioned by the state government. But there are allegations that sand and riverbed material is extracted beyond the permissible limit and sold illegally using fake challans. Syndicates control the multi-crore racket,” a senior state government official said.
Illegal mining of sand and river bed material (RBM), which comprises boulders, gravel and sand, are rampant in several districts of south and Bengal.
In 2021 the Mamata Banerjee government introduced the sand mining policy that sought to put in place a centralised system for the auction of sand quarries.
“Because of the local mafia, the state government was losing out on revenue and the state’s natural resources were also being plundered. We have been noticing this for long and many complaints have also poured in. None would be spared even if he is an officer or a politician,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in July 2021 on the new policy.
The ED raids triggered a political row with the Bharatiya Janata Party attacking top TMC leaders.
“It is a huge racket. If the state government earns ₹20 as revenue from sand mining, ₹80 goes into the pockets of Bhaipo (nephew) and his team. A nexus exists in which senior police officials are involved. They are paid hefty amounts as bribes. The ED should speed up its investigation,” Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly, told media persons.
The TMC hit back, saying agencies such as ED would get more active as the 2026 assembly elections approach.
“Everyone understands why the ED and CBI are becoming hyperactive. Elections are coming. It is not the ED or CBI but the BJP, which decides which house to raid. Such raids are not carried out to arrest miscreants. They are carried out to rope in leaders of the opposition parties. The BJP uses these agencies as weapons,” Arup Chakraborty, TMC spokesperson, told the media.
