Kolkata-based travel agency's overseas trips for influential people under ED scanner

Kolkata, July 3 A Kolkata-based travel agency arranging multiple overseas trips of several influential people from the state between 2017 and 2020 are currently under the scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the ongoing investigation in the multi- crore cattle smuggling case in West Bengal.

Sources said the ED sleuths recently conducted a raid and search operation at the travel agency's office in central Kolkata and after examining the documents there confirmed the multiple overseas trips by these influential people are their family members.

Sources also said that around 70 per cent of these overseas trips were to Dubai.

Although the ED sleuths are tight-lipped about the other influential people who reportedly made such multiple overseas trips, they confirmed that one of them was former Trinamool Youth Congress leader Vinay Mishra, one of the accused in the coal smuggling case.

Mishra is currently absconding and the central agencies believe that currently he is hiding at Vanuatu Island after surrendering his Indian passport.

The main charge against Mishra is that he used to act as the principal link between prime accused in coal smuggling scam Anup Majhi a.k.a Lala and the influential persons who are now under the scanner of ED sleuths.

There are further charges against Mishra that he was responsible for diversion of funds received by beneficiaries as commission.

Sources said that the ED sleuths have detected some coincidence in the timing of the overseas trips and the transfer of huge amounts of proceeds in the coal smuggling case abroad, with both the developments taking place between 2017 and 2020.

As per findings of the central agency, these proceeds were invested in a number of shell companies registered mainly in Dubai.

Recently, ED summoned West Bengal Law Minister Malay Ghatak at the central agency's headquarter in New Delhi a number of times for questioning in connection to the coal smuggling case. However, the minister had skipped the questioning repeatedly with the excuse of his pre-occupations because of the forthcoming panchayat polls.