ED arrests e cop Manoranjan Mondal in West Bengal coal smuggling probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former police officer Manoranjan Mondal in connection with its money laundering probe into the alleged coal smuggling racket in
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former police officer Manoranjan Mondal in connection with its money laundering probe into the alleged coal smuggling racket in West Bengal, a senior official said on Friday. The agency said Mondal had been under its scanner for a considerable period. Mondal, the former officer-in-charge of Barabani police station, was taken into custody late on Thursday after hours of questioning at the ED office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake, officials said. He was suspended from service in 2024 in connection with separate allegations of corruption. Read Full Story According to ED officials, Mondal had allegedly failed to respond to multiple summonses issued during the investigation.
"During questioning, several inconsistencies emerged in his statements, and he was unable to satisfactorily explain certain financial transactions that are under scrutiny," an ED official said. The arrest is linked to the agency's ongoing investigation into an alleged coal smuggling network suspected to have operated in parts of the state with the support of members of the coal mafia and public servants. Investigators have alleged that Mondal played a role in helping the movement of illicit funds linked to the racket and maintained links with people associated with the coal trade. "Our investigation revealed financial trails that require detailed examination.
Certain bank transactions and fund movements linked to the accused are part of the evidence being examined," the ED official said. The agency had earlier placed details of bank accounts and transaction records before a court, claiming that substantial sums were credited to accounts linked to Mondal during the period under investigation. Mondal had been summoned several times in the past but had not appeared before the agency. In March this year, ED teams carried out searches at his residence in Durgapur as part of efforts to trace him. Investigators also pasted a notice at the premises after failing to find him there, officials said.
ED officers have alleged that the coal smuggling operation grew through a network of local operatives and protection from influential individuals. The agency is examining the alleged flow of illegal proceeds and the role of various people linked to the case, which has already seen multiple arrests and searches over the past few years. The arrest of Mondal is the latest development in the ED's wider probe into the alleged laundering of proceeds from illegal coal extraction and transportation in West Bengal. Ends
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