ED raids at three locations in Bengal in relation to sand smuggling

Kolkata: The officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are conducting parallel and marathon raid and search operations at three locations in West Bengal since early Monday morning in relation to sand-smuggling rackets running in the state.

The three locations where the central agency officials are conducting parallel raid and search operations since early Monday morning including Behala on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district and Kalyani in Nadia district.

This is the first time ever that the ED officials have conducted any operation in West Bengal in relation to sand-smuggling rackets. Each team of the raiding ED officials is escorted by the members of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel. Sources aware of the development said that at Jhargram, raid and search operations are being conducted since early Monday morning at the residence of an individual who is directly involved in the sand trading business.

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The person at whose residence the raid and search operations are being conducted has been identified as Sheikh Zahirul Ali. His residence is close to the Subarnarekha River, from the banks of which such sand-smuggling used to happen. Local people said that earlier, Sheikh was employed as a contractual village policeman with the West Bengal government, and later he had quit the job and started running his own sand trading business.

At Behala, sources said, raid and search operations are being conducted at the office of an organisation called G.D. Mining, which is also involved in the sand-trading business. The organisation also has an office at Sector-V, Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata and sources added that in due course raid and search operations by the ED officials might also be conducted there as well.

However, no information is available so far on the parallel raid at Kalyani in Nadia district. As per the ED’s estimates, the sand-smuggling rackets operating in West Bengal involve hundreds of crores of rupees. Sources said that due to the huge demand for sand available at the banks of the Subarnarekha River, the same was sold in the open markets at double the government rates.

Often, the permits for sand-mining which are issued by the state government are forged and used to conduct illegal mining by racketeers.