New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at nearly a dozen locations in West Bengal and Jharkhand on Friday in connection with a money laundering case against those illegally occupying Indian Army lands.

Several acres of Army land in Jharkhand were illegally occupied in collaboration with ‘land mafias’ and politicians

According to sources, the raids are taking place in nearly four locations in West Bengal and eight locations in Jharkhand. According to sources, the locations searched included the home and office of a Kolkata-based businessman named Amit Agrawal, as well as several others. Sources said that Agrawal was previously detained by the Enforcement Directorate, and the raids were planned following his revelation in the case.

According to reports, several acres of Army land in Jharkhand were illegally occupied in collaboration with ‘land mafias’ and politicians.

Amit Agrawal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a money laundering investigation. On July 31, ED officials arrested Amit Agrawal in connection with the seizure of Rs 50 lakh from advocate Rajiv Kumar in Kolkata.

Agrawal, who is lodged in Jharkhand’s Birsa Munda Central Jail, is accused of allegedly giving the money to Kumar in exchange for his name being removed from a public interest litigation filed in the Jharkhand High Court. In addition, the ED has filed a prosecution complaint against Agrawal in the PMLA court.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted four raids on Friday at various locations linked to a Jharkhand-based businessman currently residing in Kolkata in connection with a complaint of stealing Army land.

This is not the first time the ED has conducted raids at Amit Agarwal’s premises. Previously, the central investigation agency officials conducted similar raids on this count twice last year.

Dilip Ghosh, the BJP’s national president and a Lok Sabha member, reacted to the raids by saying that West Bengal has become a hub of corruption, and thus raids and search operations by central agencies have become routine. “The people of West Bengal are really frustrated with this trend. The people will get more frustrated if the offenders are not punished,” he said.