PNN/Agencies
New Delhi / Kolkata / Bhubaneswar, July 9: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Thursday launched simultaneous searches in three states in connection with its money laundering probe in illegal iron-ore mining scam in Orissa and other states, pegged at about `2,000 crore.
Raids were conducted in about 15 places in Bhubaneshwar, Keonjhar, Rourkela and Kolkata, as well as Salem and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, by ED’s Kolkata zone headquarters, according to sources.
In Orissa, raids were conducted in at least 10 places.
In Bhubaneswar, five places were raid by two teams of the agency. The Sahid Nagar residence of Champua MLA Sanatan Mahakud, a partner in a transport company involved in the scam, was raided, sources said.
The office of Sirajuddin & Co was being raided for two hours, following which another raid was conducted at Sirajuddin’s residence, sources said.
Searches are also being carried out at the head office of Indrani Patnaik & Company and residence of Indrani against whom ED has slapped charges of money laundering, they said.
The Triveni Earthmovers office was also raided, sources said. The ED is also searching the premises of a Tamil Nadu-based mining operative who was running ‘mafia’ style iron-ore mining operations in Orissa, they said.
In Joda, a 15-member ED team first raided the office of Maa Kuanri Transport Agency at Unchabali village in Bamebari area under Joda block and checked the documents of the agency. The sleuths reportedly interrogated the staff of the transport agency about their link with the main accused in the Uliburu mining scam, Deepak Gupta, who is in jail.
“Multiple teams of the agency assisted by local police are conducting the searches. The action is being carried out as part of an FIR registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” they said.
ED took cognizance of the Justice MB Shah committee report and also the criminal complaints filed by Orissa vigilance department about illegal iron-ore mining before registering its own FIR, according to sources.
The Orissa vigilance department had registered an FIR against these people and their firms in 2012 and filed a chargesheet against them the next year, sources said.
Officials said the operation, which has been codenamed ‘Earth’, is expected to carry on till late into the day.
ED has registered a total of three FIRs to probe money laundering in illegal iron-ore mining scam in eastern Indian states, the most prominent one being the Uliburu mining case of Orissa.