Kolkata, Sep 11 (IANS): Trinamool Congress's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law, Maneka Gambhir, was stopped from travelling abroad on Saturday night following an objection by the Enforcement Directorate.

Gambhir is under probe by the ED in connection with the multi-crore coal scam.

She was supposed to leave for Bangkok on Saturday night, and accordingly she reached the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. But she was stopped at the immigration department soon after she submitted her ticket and passport at the immigration department.

She was asked to wait for some time and meanwhile the immigration department official contacted ED headquarter in New Delhi. Later Gambhir was denied boarding at the Bangkok- bound flight on grounds that already a lookout notice has been issued against her in a particular case and hence she cannot be allowed to leave the country.

As a supporting document, the immigration department furnished an email printout of a notice from the ED, through which the latter had summoned her to be present at the ED office in Kolkata this week for questioning in a particular case.

To recall, on August 30, the Calcutta High Court, allowed Maneka Gambhir to appear for questioning at the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s Kolkata office instead of its New Delhi office. The ED had summoned Gambhir at its Delhi office on September 5 for questioning in the coal smuggling scam. However, she had challenged the decision in the high court.