The Enforcement Directorate took action on Friday by freezing the bank accounts belonging to West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick, as well as those owned by his wife and daughter, according to a senior officer. The ED’s move came in the wake of the minister’s arrest the previous day in connection with his alleged role in a multi-crore ration scam.
In addition to the freezing of accounts, Mallick’s mobile phones were seized and forwarded for forensic examination, said the official. He stated, “We have sent instructions to the bank authorities to freeze the accounts of the minister, his wife, and daughter. We are also trying to find out if there are other bank accounts used by the minister or anybody in his family.”
During the course of their searches, the ED officers also confiscated several official rubber stamps from private companies. The initial investigation by the ED revealed that Mallick’s wife and daughter held directorial positions in three companies allegedly involved in the “routing” of funds in the scam.
The ED officers, while conducting raids and searches at the residence of one of Mallick’s close associates in neighboring Howrah, came across a diary containing transaction details related to the scam. The officer mentioned, “Among other documents seized, we have got a diary containing several pages with names of Mr. Mallick and details of some payments made to different individuals. We are probing them.”
The initial probe also brought to light three companies from which Mallick received a substantial amount of loans that were not repaid by the minister. Additionally, the central probe agency discovered documents and savings bank accounts associated with individuals who worked as domestic help at the minister’s residence.
Intriguingly, the ED officers uncovered documents related to various “bogus” companies established for the purpose of rerouting funds and concealing black money. The officer stated, “All these bogus companies and savings bank accounts were opened at a time when Mallick was the state food supplies minister. We believe that several such companies were opened and used in this scam.”
Mallick had held the position of food supplies minister from 2011 to 2021 before being appointed as the forest affairs and non-conventional and renewable energy minister. Alongside the minister, the ED has also arrested several individuals implicated in the multi-crore scam.
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