The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday carried out searches at 22 locations across West Bengal in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining and money laundering racket, officials said.
The early morning operation stretched across multiple districts, including Jhargram, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and Nadia. Teams of ED officers, accompanied by central security forces, descended on residential properties, offices and vehicles linked to sand mine owners, businessmen and alleged intermediaries.
One of the key targets of the search was the sprawling residence of Sheikh Jahirul at Nayabasan in Gopiballavpur-I block of Jhargram district, located close to the Subarnarekha river. Jahirul, a former village police volunteer, is accused of abandoning his job to enter the sand trade, amassing wealth and multiple sand quarries in the process.
Officials said a search warrant was served at Jahirul’s residence, and investigators examined his office and vehicles for financial records. A large contingent of security personnel cordoned off the area during the raid. “All relevant documents are being scrutinized, including property papers and financial transactions,” an official said.
Searches were also conducted at the premises of several other sand quarry owners in Beliyabera and Jamboni blocks of Jhargram. Parallel raids were underway in Kolkata’s Behala, Regent Park and Salt Lake areas, as well as in Kalyani in Nadia district, officials said.
Investigators suspect that proceeds from illegal sand mining, running into crores of rupees, were diverted into insurance products and layered through various businesses to mask the illicit origins. “We have traced multiple transactions that point to laundering of sand mining profits through insurance companies and local businessmen,” a source said, requesting anonymity as the probe is ongoing.
The sand mining trade in West Bengal, particularly in Jhargram and adjoining districts, has faced allegations of large-scale illegal operations, often involving powerful local operators. Environmental activists have long warned of the ecological damage caused by unregulated mining from riverbeds, while opposition parties have accused the state government of turning a blind eye to the trade.
Monday’s operation marks one of the largest actions by the ED in the state this year, officials said. While no arrests have been confirmed so far, the agency is expected to question multiple individuals once searches are completed and documents analyzed.
The West Bengal government has not immediately commented on the raids.
