The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has made major financial recoveries in one of the largest coordinated actions against illegal coal operations in eastern India.
The Central Agency conducted searches across 44 locations in Jharkhand and West Bengal on November 21 and recovered cash and jewellery worth over Rs 14 crore, apart from large volumes of documentary and digital evidence revealing the scale of the criminal network.
The search involved over 100 ED officers supported by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel focusing on individuals and companies allegedly involved in a long-running coal mining, theft, transportation, and sale syndicate that, investigators say, has been operating across state borders for years.
The recoveries include bundles of cash, high-value jewellery, multiple property documents, land agreements, diaries, registers, books of accounts and data from digital devices believed to be key for reconstructing the financial trail of the racket.
In Jharkhand, the ED searched 20 locations across Dhanbad and Dumka, targeting premises linked to Lal Bahadur Singh, Anil Goyal, Sanjay Khemka, Amar Mondal and others connected with their business entities.
In West Bengal, the agency raided 24 locations in Kolkata, Howrah, Durgapur and Purulia, including residential properties, offices, illegal toll collection points, and coke manufacturing units reportedly linked to Narendra Kharka, Krishna Murari Kayal, Yudhishthir Ghosh, Raj Kishore Yadav, Chinmay Mondal and others.
Many of these premises are believed to have served as operational and financial hubs for the smuggling cartel.
The ED stated that the operation is based on multiple FIRs filed by police forces in both states, which pointed to a well-organised network moving coal from Jharkhand into West Bengal using forged or invalid transport documents.
Investigators said that initial scrutiny of the seized materials shows evidence of systematic illegal supply chains operating in key border districts, with registers and diaries recovered during the raids detailing illegal cash collections and lists of beneficiaries, suggesting possible links to a wider web of associates and facilitators.
Officials added that the preliminary examination of digital records and books of accounts has revealed several suspicious transactions indicative of large-scale proceeds of crime. These findings, the agency believes, will help trace the full extent of the money laundering network and identify individuals who benefited from the illegal trade.
The ED is continuing forensic examination of the evidence and expects further leads to emerge as the investigation progresses. More action, including additional searches and summons, is likely in the coming days as the agency pieces together the financial and operational structure of the alleged coal smuggling racket.
Also Read: ED raids over 40 sites in coal theft crackdown
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