Enforcement Directorate attaches Rs 159 crore belongings in West Bengal coal rip-off
2 min learnNew DelhiApr 15, 2026 04:41 PM IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally hooked up belongings value Rs 159.51 crore below the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in a case involving large-scale unlawful coal mining and pilferage from Jap Coalfields Restricted (ECL) leasehold areas in West Bengal.
In line with ED, probe has uncovered a syndicate headed by Anup Majee, alias Lala, which orchestrated the illicit operations. “Beneficiary companies in West Bengal allegedly purchased the illegally mined coal for money, serving to launder the proceeds as authentic revenue. Hooked up belongings embrace company bonds and alternate funding funds linked to Shyam Sel and Energy Restricted and Shyam Ferro Alloys Restricted, entities below the Shyam Group managed by Sanjay Agarwal and Brij Bhushan Agarwal,” a ED spokesperson mentioned in an announcement.
Investigators discovered the syndicate excavated coal illegally and pilfered it for provide to factories, with complicity from native officers. “A key tactic was the Lala pad – pretend transport challans issued in fictitious names. Transporters obtained a Rs 10 or Rs 20 observe alongside, photographed it subsequent to the automobile’s quantity plate, and despatched the picture to syndicate operators. These pictures have been shared through WhatsApp with police and officers en route, guaranteeing protected passage or fast launch if stopped,”the spokesperson mentioned.
The ED additionally uncovered an underground hawala community for money transfers, utilizing forex observe serial numbers as authenticators to keep away from banking trails and formal data. “This attachment pushes whole seized belongings within the case to Rs 488.22 crore.
The offence includes a number of layers of complicated monetary transactions designed to hide the origin and possession of illicit funds,” the spokesperson added.
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