Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], April 25 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday conducted searches at nine places across West Bengal in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe in the Public Distribution System (PDS) scam case, officials said.

The raids have been underway since early morning under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) at the premises linked to suppliers and exporters located in Kolkata, Burdwan, and Habra, linked to Nirajan Chandra Saha and Ors in the case.

ED's Kolkata zonal office is conducting the searches based on its investigation initiated in this case, primarily based on West Bengal Police First Information Report (FIR) dated October 23, 2020, registered at Basirhat Police Station on the complaint of Deputy Commissioner of Customs, Ghojadanga LCS, alleging large-scale diversion of PDS wheat meant for welfare schemes.

The places being searched included the office and residential premises of Susanto Saha and his firm, Sagar Enterprises, in North 24 Parganas; Samir Kumar Chandra and Partha Saha and his firm, Adarsha International, at Habra in North 24 Parganas; Maa Annapurna Rice Concern in Burdwan; Cynax Aannaapurna Udyog Private Limited in Burdwan; Daulat Ram Gupta in Northpara; and Kanchan Som in Burdwan.

The federal agency said its investigation revealed that 'the accused adopted a systematic modus operandi to divert PDS wheat meant for welfare beneficiaries.'

'The wheat was procured at low prices through unauthorised channels, in collusion with suppliers, licensed distributors, dealers, and middlemen,' said the agency.

It further said that 'large quantities were illegally diverted from the supply chain and aggregated at multiple locations.'

'To conceal its origin, the accused removed or reversed the original gunny bags bearing Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state government markings and refilled them, thereby hiding identifying features and passing off the PDS wheat as legitimate stock for further sale in the open market or export, resulting in undue enrichment of the accused persons and generation of Proceeds of Crime,' added the ED. (ANI)