1 day ago
9
ARTICLE AD BOX
2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 2, 2026 04:03 PM IST
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee leads a protest march accompanied by party leaders and others against the Enforcement Directorate's searches linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, in Kolkata, Jan. 9, 2026. (PTI Photo)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday carried out fresh searches at multiple locations linked to executives of the political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and others.
The searches were conducted across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi in connection with an alleged coal smuggling and pilferage case in West Bengal, sources said. “The raids are a continuation of the searches conducted earlier in the case,” an ED officer said.
Premises linked to I-PAC co-founder and director Rishi Raj Singh were among those covered.
The federal agency had earlier conducted searches in January at the I-PAC office as well as at the Kolkata residence of its founder, Pratik Gandhi. I-PAC, which has earlier managed the electoral campaigns for multiple parties across the country, is currently working with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Officials said Singh, along with another functionary, had recently been summoned by the ED for questioning. Both have approached the Delhi High Court seeking to quash the notices, citing their involvement in ongoing election work in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The ED case stems from a wider investigation into an alleged coal smuggling racket in West Bengal, which, according to central agencies, involved large-scale illegal extraction and diversion of coal from mines operated by Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited.
As reported by The Indian Express, the agency has been probing the alleged laundering of proceeds generated through this racket, with earlier searches targeting businessmen, transporters and politically connected individuals suspected to be part of the network. The investigation has also examined financial trails linked to consultancy services and political campaign operations, bringing I-PAC executives under the scanner.
Story continues below this ad
The case has seen multiple rounds of searches and summons over the past few years, with the ED focusing on tracing proceeds of crime and identifying beneficiaries of the alleged illegal trade. The fresh round of searches, officials said, is aimed at gathering further evidence and corroborating financial links uncovered during earlier action.
English (US) ·