25 places in Bengal raided with connection to coal scam

Kolkata, 28/11: The anti-corruption branch of CBI raided 25 places in West Bengal in connection with a coal smuggling racket, ran allegedly by one Anup Majhi. Majhi is based in Asansol, and is considered to be the kingpin of the smuggling racket. The raids involved offices and homes of the kingpin’s associates in Asansol, Durgapur, and Raniganj in Burdwan district, and Bishnupur in the South 24 Parganas district. Some places in Kolkata have also been searched but data isn’t verified.

Anup Majhi, also known as Lala allegedly runs a smuggling operation in the open cast coal mines along the West Bengal-Jharkhand border. Sources say that this operation funds some political parties of the state. Majhi had been served three income tax notices but he acknowledged only two. With the Union Home Minisiter, Amit Shah’s visit to Kolkata, the minister questioned why the CM of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee was concerned with the arrest of Anup Majhi. The Bengal CM in return questioned back the coincidences of the raid and the Home Minister’s visit. Almost simultaneously with the IT probe into Mr Majhi’s alleged racket, the CBI cracked down on a cattle smuggling case in the state in which the alleged kingpin was arrested, but released on bail after testing COVID positive. A Border Security Force officer, too, was arrested in this connection. coincidence of the searches and raids in West Bengal by five central agencies with the Home Minister’s visit.