West Bengal’s industrial heartland faced ED’s iron fist Tuesday, as raids swept through West Burdwan in pursuit of sand and coal smugglers. Deploying elite teams with central force cover, the directorate pierced deep into operations siphoning off national assets from ECL mines and riverbeds.
Nabagram bore the first brunt, with comprehensive searches probing coal heists. Durgapur and Pandaveshwar followed suit, spotlighting a sand don’s glittering empire. Relocating from Panagarh two years prior, he built a mansion there and jetted to Dubai lately, hinting at global laundering links.
A compact ED unit clashed with gatekeepers at the primary target, prying open doors via security muscle before raiding kin’s abodes. The mission dissects alliances and cash flows in the sand mafia’s sprawling domain.
Echoing January 8’s turbulent raids on I-PAC’s Prateek Jain – marred by Banerjee’s on-site dash to whisk away files – these actions expose raw political undercurrents. Her charges of electoral sabotage underscore the high stakes.
Amid silence on hauls, the operations herald a relentless ED drive against Bengal’s mining malfeasance. Protecting resources demands such vigilance, curbing losses that fuel environmental havoc and starve development funds.