Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials tracking the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal have so far been able to track as many as five shell companies that were utilized for fund diversion in the alleged scam, sources have said.

There are a number of common things between these five corporate entities, sources said.

First, all of them are registered in the same address of the same building premise located at Strand Road in central Kolkata.

The second common factor, sources added, is that all these five entities are linked directly either to the former state Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallick or any of his close family relations.

It has been almost ten months that Mallick has been serving judicial custody in connection with the ration distribution case.

The third common factor, according to sources, is that there were multiple high-value deposits to the bank accounts of these said corporate entities from the same sources between 2016 and 2021. One of which is the recently arrested Trinamool Congress block president at Deganga in North 24 Parganas district, Anusur Rahman a.k.a. Buidesh.

Bidesh and his brother Alif Nur a.k.a. Mukul were arrested by the ED officials on August 1 morning and they are currently in the central agency's custody. Both are cousins of businessman Bakibur Rahaman, the first one to be arrested by the ED in connection with the ration distribution case.

It is perceived that the links of the two brothers with former Minister Mallick were established through Bakibur Rahaman.

The ED sleuths have also traced transactions conducted between the bank accounts of Bakibur Rahman-owned BPG Rice Mills and those of the Hi Tech Rice Mills, which is jointly owned by Bidesh and Mukul as late as October 2022.

Sources said that multiple rice mills and shell corporate entities have been used in such a manner in diverting the ill-gotten proceedings in the ration distribution case that it is really becoming a time-consuming factor to join the dots and establish the links between those multiple arms.