How Illegal Coal Mining Case Put I-PAC Under Probe Agency Radar, Led To Raids

The raids were linked to an illegal coal mining case that is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

08 Jan 2026, 13:24 · www.ndtv.com

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ED raided six West Bengal and four Delhi locations in an illegal coal mining money laundering probe
Anup Maji identified as syndicate mastermind with 16 FIRs and previous charges filed
I-PAC and its director Pratik Jain came under ED scrutiny for hawala-linked transactions

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High drama unfolded on Thursday as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids in West Bengal and Delhi, including at the I-PAC office and the residence of its director Pratik Jain in Kolkata. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached Jain's residence, alleging that the central agency was attempting to seize the Trinamool Congress's internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy.

The raids were linked to an illegal coal mining case that is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The search operation, which began at 6 am, continued for over nine hours across six locations in West Bengal and four locations in Delhi.

How The Coal Was Mined, Moved

The FIR in the illegal coal mining case was registered in 2020. As the probe moved along, it was found that coal was being illegally mined and stolen from the lease area of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) in and around West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district in collusion with officials of the railways and CISF, apart from other concerned departments. Links to hawala operators were also found.

This coal was sold at various factories or plants located in Bankura, Bardhaman, Purulia and other districts of West Bengal. A large chunk of the coal was sold to Shakambhari group of companies. In all, coal worth around Rs 2,742.32 crore (including taxes and royalties) was siphoned off through illegal mining and theft from the ECL lease area.

The Mastermind

An individual named Anup Maji emerged as the mastermind of the syndicate, which was involved in illegal coal mining in the ECL area and transportation of that coal. 16 FIRs related to illegal coal mining and theft were registered against Maji between 2000 and 2015, and charge-sheets were also filed in these cases. No action was taken due to his alleged influence.

In 2020, the investigation took a turn when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a new case for coal theft and smuggling.

Further investigation revealed Maji had employed staff to maintain records of stolen coal supplied to various companies. Additionally, another accused in the case Gurupada Maji was found to have transferred Rs 89 crore as proceeds of crimes through Anup Maji's associates between 2017 and 2020. During the same period, another accused Jayadev Mandal transferred Rs 58 crore as proceeds of crimes.

The ED conducted search and seizure operations at 46 locations under Section 17 of the PMLA between January and April 2021.

The I-PAC Link

Investigation revealed that one hawala operator linked to the layering of proceeds of crime had facilitated transactions of tens of crores of rupees to Indian Pac Consulting Private Limited (I-PAC).

This brought the political consultancy and its chief Jain under the ED's radar, alongside hawala operators and handlers, who were searched on Thursday.

Mamata Banerjee Intervenes

Banerjee, along with large number of police officials, entered the residence of Jain, and allegedly took away physical documents and electronic devices. She arrived around noon, minutes after Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma reached the spot, and stayed for 20-25 minutes before emerging with a green folder in her hand.

She then went to the I-PAC office premises in Salt Lake, from where she, her aides, and police personnel "forcibly" retrieved more documents and electronic evidence, as per the ED.

The Chief Minister alleged that the ED was attempting to seize the TMC's internal documents, hard disks and sensitive data linked to its election strategy. She said the raid at the residence and offices of Jain, "the in-charge of my IT cell", was politically motivated and unconstitutional.

The episode is reminiscent of a dramatic standoff in 2019 at the same Loudon Street area, when the CBI searched the bungalow of then police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, prompting Banerjee to rush to the spot and later stage a dharna in central Kolkata.

Apart from providing political consultancy to the TMC, the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC ) also manages the party's IT and media operations.

What Next

Jain has filed a counter petition before a single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court against the ED, challenging the latter's raid and search operations.

Banerjee has announced a protest rally on Friday, claiming such actions by central agencies are politically motivated ahead of elections.

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