Coal scam crackdown: ED arrests I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel ahead of Bengal polls

Chandel was taken into custody in Delhi under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Raids across cities

Earlier this month, the ED had conducted searches at multiple locations, including Chandel’s property in Delhi and premises linked to I-PAC co-founder Rishi Raj Singh in Bengaluru.

Raids were also carried out at the Mumbai residence of Vijay Nair, and earlier this year at I-PAC’s Kolkata office and the home of its director Pratik Jain.

The Kolkata raid drew political attention after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited the site with state officials.

Coal scam link

The ED case stems from a 2020 FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which alleged large-scale coal pilferage at mines operated by Eastern Coalfields Ltd in the Kunustoria and Kajora areas near Asansol.

Investigators claim a “hawala” operator linked to the smuggling network routed tens of crores of rupees to I-PAC through a Mumbai-based company already under scrutiny in the Delhi liquor policy case.

Political reactions

Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee criticised the timing of the arrest, noting it came just days before voting in West Bengal.

In a post on X, he said the move “shakes the very idea of a level playing field.”

West Bengal is set to vote in two phases later this month, with counting scheduled for May 4—placing the high-profile arrest squarely in the middle of a heated election season.