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| Photo Credit: Reuters
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday (February 3, 2026) held searches at several places in West Bengal in connection with the coal smuggling scam.The residence of a businessman was searched in Jamuria town of Paschim Bardhaman district, where ₹65 lakh in cash was seized from the premises. The officials of the Central probe agency also raided the house of Manoranjan Mandal, the newly appointed officer-in-charge of Budbud police station, in Durgapur City Centre. The police officer was also questioned by ED officials.Mr. Mandal has not yet taken charge of his new post. The police officer had earlier been posted as the officer-in-charge of Barabani police station and had been suspended for some time.Several other locations in Paschim Bardhaman district were searched during the raids. Investigations have revealed that coal and sand stolen from mines were smuggled to various districts, resulting in massive financial transactions.These raids came weeks after the ED conducted searches at the residence and office of I-PAC director Pratik Jain in Kolkata in connection with coal smuggling in the State. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had intervened during the raids on January 8.The issue had triggered a major political controversy where allegations were made that Ms. Banerjee took away documents and devices from ED officials. The agency has approached the Supreme Court against Ms. Banerjee and officials of West Bengal Government for their intervention in the raids. Published - February 03, 2026 10:52 pm IST
