Sand-smuggling: ED raids three locations in West Bengal

Kolkata, Sep 8 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths, on Monday, conducted search operations at the residence of an insurance agent on the southern outskirts of Kolkata in relation to sand-smuggling rackets running in the state.

The insurance agent at whose residence the central agency sleuths have started conducting search operations has been identified as Sanjeev Boyd.

The raid is being conducted at his residence at Regent Colony on the southern outskirts of Kolkata.

This is the fourth place where the ED officials have been conducting marathon raids and search operations since early Monday morning, the other three being at Behala on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district, and Kalyani in Nadia district.

At Gopiballavpur, raids are being conducted at the residence of a sand-trader identified as Sheikh Zahirul Ali.

At Behala, search operations are being conducted at the office of an organisation called G.D. Mining, which is also involved in the sand-trading business.

Each team of the raiding ED officials is escorted by the members of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel.

Explaining how insurance agent

Sources said that he was mainly responsible for the proceeds earned by Sheikh Zahirul Al from sand-smuggling. As per information available with the ED officials, the insurance agent also helped Zahirul in investing a small portion of his income in insurance policies.

Sources further said that Byod’s identity as an insurance agent was just a masquerade, and his main income was from commissions for diverting proceeds of different illegal trades abroad through the Hawala route.

This is the first time ever that the ED officials have conducted any operation in West Bengal in relation to sand-smuggling rackets.

As per the ED’s estimates, the sand-smuggling rackets operating in West Bengal involve hundreds of crores of rupees.

Sources said that due to the huge demand for sand available at the banks of the Subarnarekha River, the same was sold in the open markets at double the government rates.

Often, the permits for sand mining, which are issued by the state government, are forged and used to conduct illegal mining by racketeers.

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