The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued an interrogation notice to Monoranjan Hazra, the officer-in-charge at Budbud Police Station in West Bengal’s Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate (ADPC). This action is part of the ongoing investigation into a multi-crore coal smuggling case. Earlier, ED officials conducted a raid at Hazra’s residence and seized crucial documents related to the case.
Upon examining the seized documents, the ED found significant leads pertaining to the coal-smuggling case. This discovery led to the issuance of an interrogation notice to the state police officer. Additionally, the ED sent a similar notice to Chinmay Mondal, a close associate of Anup Maji, also known as Lala, a key figure in the coal-smuggling racket.
In recent months, ED’s activities regarding the coal-smuggling case have escalated. Notably, the agency conducted parallel raid and search operations at the office of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of I-PAC’s co-founder, Pratik Jain. These actions were met with controversy, with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee intervening and the matter now under Supreme Court scrutiny.
Director Rahul Navin of the ED visited Kolkata last month to review progress in investigations into financial irregularities, including coal smuggling cases in the state. The agency also conducted raids in the coal-belt areas of West Burdwan districts, seizing a significant amount of cash from a coal trader’s residence in Jamuria.
