Kolkata, Jun 19 (PTI) The ED has arrested a former police officer in connection with its probe into the alleged coal smuggling racket in West Bengal, a senior official said on Friday.
Former Barabani police station OC Manoranjan Mondal was taken into custody late on Thursday after hours of questioning at the agency’s office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake here, they said. He was suspended from service in 2024 in connection with separate allegations of corruption.
According to Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials, Mondal had been under the investigators’ scanner for a considerable period and 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 money laundering investigation into the alleged coal smuggling network that is suspected to have operated across 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 facilitating the movement of illicit funds linked to the racket and maintained connections with individuals 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.
Incidentally, the central probe agency had earlier placed details of bank accounts and transaction records before a court, claiming that substantial sums of money were credited to accounts linked to Mondal during the period under investigation.
Mondal had been summoned on several occasions in the past but had not appeared before the agency.
This March, teams of the central probe agency had conducted searches at his residence in Durgapur as part of efforts to trace him. Investigators had also pasted a notice at the premises after failing to find him there, they said.
The ED officers alleged that the coal smuggling operation flourished through a network involving local operatives and protection from influential individuals.
The agency is examining the alleged flow of illegal proceeds and the role of various persons connected to the case.
The coal smuggling case has led to multiple arrests and searches over the past few years as central agencies continue to probe the alleged laundering of proceeds generated from illegal coal extraction and transportation. PTI SCH MNB
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