Real estates, film production among others avenues to divert coal scam proceeds: ED

Kolkata, Feb 18 The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has given a renewed push to the ongoing probe in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal by recovering unaccounted cash of Rs 1.40 crore from a businessman's office on February 8, has brought under scanner a number of real estate development agencies, film production houses and one Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in the matter.

According to the probe sources, the officials probing the coal smuggling scam have questioned two city-based businessmen and thoroughly examined their books of accounts through which their business transactions with these new entities have surfaced.

Although the ED is not revealing the names of these connected real estate and film production units as well as the NGO, the central agency sleuths have decided to summon their associates one after another and grill them. The production firm behind a recently released Bengali movie is also under the scanner of the ED sleuths.

One of the two Kolkata-based businessmen who was questioned by ED was Bikram Sikaria, the owner of Gajraj Group, from whose office at Earl Street in South Kolkata the Rs 1.40 crore of unaccounted cash was recovered by the central agency sleuths on February 8.

On the very next day, the central agency had issued an official release claiming that the seized cash was unaccounted and part of the total cash payment of approximately Rs 9 crore for a property called Salasar Guest House, at an undervalued price.

The ED also questioned another businessman named Manjit Singh Grewal aka Jitti Bhai, who actually purchased that property of Salasar House at the undervalued price.

In the statement issued on February 9, the probe agency claimed that the recovered Rs 1.40 crore cash was part of the coal scam proceeds. "The market value of this property is more than Rs 12 crore, however the deed value of the same is shown at around Rs 3 crore. This money was part of the agreed differential amount to be paid in cash from the proceeds generated from coal smuggling," the statement read.

In the statement, ED also made a serious revelation that one highly influential political person was making an attempt to launder the proceeds of crime originating from coal smuggling through his close confidant Manjit Singh Grewal, who was also involved in handling illegal cash of a minister.