Delhi Court Sends I-PAC Co-Founder Vinesh Chandel to 10 Days ED Custody

ED alleges Rs 50 crore proceeds of crime and hawala-linked transactions; TMC calls arrest ahead of Assembly polls 'alarming'

PTI, New Delhi, Apr 14, 2026 : A Delhi court on Tuesday sent Vinesh Chandel, co-founder and director of I-PAC, to ten days of custody of the Enforcement Directorate following his arrest in a case linked to alleged hawala transactions of funds received from political parties and other entities.

The action comes days ahead of the West Bengal and Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, where the 2015-established organisation is providing political consultancy to parties like the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, respectively.

ED officials said Chandel was arrested at 7.45 pm on Monday after questioning. He is a law graduate from NLIU Bhopal and a "key decision-maker" of I-PAC, being a 33 per cent shareholder of the company.

He was produced at the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon around 11.55 pm, and the court sent him to 10 days ED custody at 3.30 am.

ED officials said Chandel was arrested in a fresh case filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on March 28 after taking cognisance of a Delhi Police FIR against Indian PAC Consulting Pvt Ltd (I-PAC) on charges of falsification of accounts and handling of unaccounted funds through its directors, who include Chandel, Pratik Jain, and Rishi Raj Singh.

This case is linked to the coal scam probe of West Bengal, they said.

Chandel's premises in Delhi, apart from that of Rishi Raj Singh in Bengaluru and that of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair in Mumbai, were raided by the ED on April 2 as part of the March 28 filed case.

The agency alleged that under Chandel's direction, I-PAC "adopted a modus operandi of splitting receipts between accounted (banking channels) and unaccounted (cash) modes, thereby deliberately suppressing the true nature and extent of its financial activities."

It alleged that Chandel played a "key role" in the introduction of "sham" funds of Rs 3.50 crore received from a company into I-PAC under the guise of unsecured, interest-free loans.

The judge in her order said there were reasons to believe that Chandel had been "actively" involved in the processes and activities connected with the generation, diversion, and possession of proceeds of crime amounting to several crores of rupees.

The ED told the court that I-PAC split its funds, including those received from political parties, into non-cash and cash, which were utilised for election-related expenditure and other purposes, including influencing public perception.

There was no immediate reaction from I-PAC on the arrest of Chandel or the charges made against it by the ED.

Chandel's legal team said his client was "completely oblivious" of the existence of the March 28 ECIR, which caused "grave prejudice" to his rights.

The counsel argued that the proceedings in the case were "politically motivated, allegedly set in motion in the backdrop of impending state elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal."

The court, while granting custody to the ED, said there were reasons to believe he had been involved in the use of hawala channels and unaccounted cash outside the banking system.

The court order also noted ED allegations that Chandel instructed deletion of emails and sensitive data after searches in Kolkata on January 8, allegedly attempting to destroy evidence.

The ED claimed I-PAC was involved in laundering proceeds of crime of about Rs 50 crore.

Abhishek Banerjee, in a post on X, said Chandel's arrest just before the Bengal election raised concerns about a level playing field.

In January, the ED raided the I-PAC office in Kolkata and Pratik Jain's house as part of its probe into the alleged coal scam case in West Bengal based on a CBI FIR.

Soon after, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the raided location along with state government officials, alleging that crucial documents were taken away.

The ED said its searches were obstructed, claiming relevant documents and gadgets were forcibly taken away by the Chief Minister and the state administration, allegations denied by the Trinamool Congress.