Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate conducted simultaneous searches at five separate locations across Kolkata and its surrounding areas as part of a major anti-money laundering operation. The central agency’s intervention focuses on tracking the alleged illegal routing of suspected funds into various bank accounts associated with the Trinamool Congress. According to preliminary findings by the financial probe agency, transactions exceeding ₹150 crore were systematically funneled through specialized aviation and travel-related enterprises for purposes deemed highly suspicious by investigators.
The extensive search operations covered the commercial headquarters and linked residential properties of Carewell Aviation, a prominent charter aircraft hiring and leasing company operating out of the West Bengal capital. Alongside the corporate offices and individual premises of the firm’s directors, investigators focused on a purported electoral trust suspected of serving as a financial conduit. The central enforcement action unfolds amidst an intense internal friction within the political outfit regarding the custody and deployment of its central financial resources.
The federal investigation follows recent administrative actions where regional financial institutions froze three separate party bank accounts containing an estimated corpus of ₹440 crore after specific complaints were filed by rebel legislators demanding an inquiry into the source of the capital. While the legal dispute over the account freeze is currently being heard before the Calcutta High Court, the ED continues to analyze digital ledgers and transaction trails seized during the morning raids. The swift political and legal developments come against the backdrop of a significant shift in the state’s governance structure following the recent assembly elections.
