KOLKATA: A Rs 20 crore hawala transaction allegedly changed hands six times to erase its trail before reaching political consultancy, Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC)’s Goa office from Kolkata, Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged in a petition filed before Calcutta high court.ED said that proceeds of crime generated from alleged coal smuggling in West Bengal were routed through domestic and international hawala channels and used to fund political campaigns. One such transfer reached I-PAC during Goa assembly elections in 2021-22, the agency claimed. The allegations are part of an ongoing investigation and are yet to be tested in court.According to ED, investigators traced the money trail to a former director of a New Delhi-based non-banking financial services firm, who allegedly contacted a person known as Munna to move the funds. ED said that Munna linked up with another member of a hawala network, after which money reached a manager of a Kolkata-based hawala firm.In a statement to ED, the hawala firm manager allegedly said that he arranged cash delivery in Goa during 2021-22. The cash was to be handed over to an employee of an event management company, who then contacted the firm’s director and its sister concern.ED claimed both companies were handling events and campaign-related work for I-PAC during Goa assembly elections.ED told high court that I-PAC co-founder and director Pratik Jain handled the consultancy’s Goa operations at the time. Based on these findings, searches were carried out on Jan 8 at 10 locations in New Delhi and Kolkata, ED said. One of the locations was Jain’s home on Loudon Street in central Kolkata.The agency alleged that proceedings originated from a coal smuggling syndicate led by Anup Majee, accused of stealing and illegally excavating coal from premises of Eastern Coalfields Limited, a central public sector coal producer operating across parts of Bengal and Jharkhand. ED claimed stolen coal was sold to factories and plants in districts, including Bankura, Purba Bardhaman and Purulia – all in western and central parts of Bengal.Factory owners allegedly paid in cash, which syndicate members collected and deposited at an office in Bhamuria, a locality in Asansol subdivision of Paschim Bardhaman district, the central agency said.
