Kolkata: Teams of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) began raids at multiple locations in the metropolis on Tuesday morning in connection with its ongoing probe into the multi-crore ration scam in West Bengal, a senior official said. Accompanied by central forces, the ED teams conducted the raids at Salt Lake, Kaikhali, Mirza Galib Street, Howrah and a few other places, he said.
The ones who are being questioned include businessmen and people closely related to those earlier arrested in the scam, he said. "These raids are connected to the ration distribution scam. We have got information about the involvement of these people after questioning those who have already been arrested, the ED official told PTI. The probe agency has arrested a state minister and a TMC leader, among others, for their alleged involvement in irregularities in ration distribution in West Bengal.
Of the six places where the raid and search operations were being conducted, one was the residence of a businessman Biswajit Das, who is reportedly extremely close to Trinamool Congress leader Shankar Adhya. The latter is already in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in the ration distribution case.
Sources said that the central agency sleuths have got some specific clues of Das’s involvement in Adhya’s diversion of the alleged scam proceeds first by converting them into foreign currencies and subsequently parking them through the hawala route abroad, mainly in Dubai and Bangladesh.
The ED officials came across a unique incident while conducting raid and search operations at a second place which was the residence of a businessman Hanis Toswal. During the raid and search operations, the said businessman threw away two of his mobile phones from the roof of his residence. However, the ED officials managed to recover both the phones and the sleuths apprehend that the phones were deliberately thrown out to destroy some important clues hiding there
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