Kolkata, Dec 1 The officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) were on Monday conducting a marathon raid and search operations at the residence-cum-office of a local businessman at Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district of West Bengal in connection with the alleged multi-crore sand-smuggling racket.
The main allegation against the businessman is using forged license documents to raise sand from the riverbeds and subsequently selling that sand in the grey markets, sources aware of the development said.
The team of ED officials conducting the raid and search operation was escorted by the personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).
The local businessman at whose residence-cum-office at Gopiballavpur is being conducted since morning is Abhishek Patra a.k.a. Biltu. Complaints against him had also been registered in the past at Keshiary police station, Jhargram-adjacent West Midnapore district, where he was accused of illegally raising and selling sand.
In fact, sources said, the current raid and search operations by the ED officials at his office-cum-residence on Monday had its roots in that complaint filed at the Keshiary police station.
However, when the team of ED officials reached his residence-cum-office at Gopiballavpur early in the morning, he was not at his residence then. His family members said that he is currently in Kolkata to undergo some treatment.
Earlier ED officials probing the multi-crore sand smuggling case in the state have unearthed a unique modus operandi in the illegal business, where the kingpins committed sophisticated forgery in e-challans to hoodwink the system.
These e-challans were issued at various check-posts to the trucks carrying sand from riverbeds by different sand-mining and trading entities in the state.
Apparently, there was nothing doubtful in the e-challans. However, closer and in-depth examination of these by the investigating officials showed the high-level and scientific forgery that was made in preparing these e-challans.
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