Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 14: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested Vinesh Chandel, director and co-founder of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee, in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal, weeks ahead of the Assembly elections.
Chandel was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in New Delhi late in the evening. He is expected to be produced before a special court, where the agency will seek his custodial remand for further interrogation.
Earlier, on April 2, the ED carried out searches at Chandel’s residence in Delhi, the Bengaluru premises of I-PAC co-founder Rishi Raj Singh, and the Mumbai residence of former AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair as part of the probe.
On January 8, the agency had also searched the I-PAC office and the Kolkata residence of its founder Pratik Jain, sparking a political controversy after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the spot with officials and took away documents.
The ED alleged that its searches were obstructed and that crucial documents and electronic devices were removed. However, the All India Trinamool Congress rejected the claims, accusing the agency of targeting election strategy material ahead of the polls.
The Assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled to be held in two phases on April 23 and April 29. I-PAC has been providing political consultancy services to the Trinamool Congress and the state government since 2021.
The ED has approached the Supreme Court of India seeking a CBI probe into the alleged obstruction, and the matter is currently under hearing.
The case originates from a November 2020 FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage racket linked to mines operated by Eastern Coalfields Limited in the Kunustoria and Kajora areas near Asansol.
According to the ED, a hawala operator connected to the alleged coal-smuggling network routed transactions worth several crores of rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited, the registered entity of I-PAC.