ED Raids Coal Mafia in Jharkhand and West Bengal, Seizes Over Rs 10 Crore in Cash and Gold

PTI, November 21, 2025, Ranchi/Kolkata : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted a major search operation in Jharkhand and West Bengal as part of a money laundering probe against the coal mafia operating in the two neighbouring states. The raids resulted in the seizure of more than Rs 10 crore worth of cash and gold, officials reported.

More than 40 premises were covered in the raids, which began around 6 am, with almost 100 officials and staff from the federal agency participating in the operation.

In West Bengal, cash and gold worth Rs 8 crore were seized, while approximately Rs 2.2 crore in cash was recovered during the searches in Jharkhand. Additionally, around 120 land deeds were confiscated from the premises searched in Jharkhand, the officials added.

Central security forces provided protection to the ED teams, who searched residences, offices, toll collection booths, and check posts. The raids were still ongoing into the evening.

The action was conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

In Jharkhand, the ED targeted about 18 locations as part of an investigation related to coal theft and smuggling. According to sources, the locations of entities linked to Anil Goyal, Sanjay Udhyog, L B Singh, and Amar Mandal were among those covered.

The scale of the case involves significant coal pilferage and theft, leading to massive financial losses to the government, estimated at hundreds of crores of rupees, officials said.

In West Bengal, approximately 24 premises across Durgapur, Purulia, Howrah, and Kolkata districts were covered as part of the investigation into alleged illegal mining, transportation, and storage of coal. The premises of individuals such as Narendra Kharka, Yudhistar Ghosh, Krishna Murari Kayal, Chinmayi Mondal, Rajkoshore Yadav, and others are being searched, officials confirmed.