Alleged fictitious transactions worth Rs 164 crore from one of Trinamool Congress’s frozen bank accounts are currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED has requested details from the private sector commercial bank where the account is located. Debit restrictions have been placed on a total of 15 Trinamool Congress bank accounts, with Rs 440 crore deposited in the three accounts under ED scrutiny.
The Enforcement Directorate discovered fictitious transactions amounting to Rs 164 crore in one of the three bank accounts facing debit restrictions. These transactions are yet to be fully examined by the agency. The series of debit restrictions on Trinamool Congress accounts began last month, with instructions from both the West Bengal Police and the ED. The restrictions were initiated following concerns raised by party officials and rebel faction MLAs.
The freeze on the accounts was initially requested by the party’s former treasurer and former West Bengal Sports and Power Minister Aroop Biswas, citing fears of potential misuse of funds. Subsequently, rebel faction MLAs, led by expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, approached the West Bengal Police with similar concerns. The state police first directed the bank to impose debit restrictions, followed by instructions from the ED. In total, Rs 1,000 crore is deposited across all 15 Trinamool Congress bank accounts.
Debit restrictions were recently extended to 12 additional Trinamool Congress bank accounts based on instructions solely from the state police. The ongoing probe is a result of allegations of corruption and extortion related to the frozen accounts. Both the West Bengal Police and the ED have been involved in directing the imposition of debit restrictions on the accounts.
