ED arrests I-PAC director in Bengal coal ‘scam’ case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) late on Monday night arrested Vinesh Chandel, director of political consultancy firm I-PAC, in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to alleged illegal coal mining and transportation in West Bengal.

The arrest comes days after the agency conducted fresh raids on I-PAC on April 2, including at Chandel’s residence and the premises of another director, Rishi Raj Singh, as well as former communications in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party, Vijay Nair.

Officials said Chandel was taken into custody in Delhi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and will be produced before a court on Tuesday. The ED has alleged that around Rs 20 crore in proceeds of crime from the Bengal coal mining racket was routed to I-PAC through hawala channels.

Earlier, in January, a dramatic raid on the office of I-PAC and its director, Pratik Jain, sparked a legal battle with the West Bengal Government. The ED had accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of obstructing its searches and removing evidence, while Mamata alleged that the ED was attempting to seize election-strategy-related documents from I-PAC premises just before the Assembly elections.

Mamata has alleged that the ED targeted I-PAC, which works with the TMC, to steal the party’s data.

The ED’s money laundering probe is based on a CBI FIR filed in 2020 on allegations that coal was illegally mined at Eastern Coalfields Ltd’s mines in Kunustoria and Kajora in West Bengal.