Mamata Banerjee Halted ED Raid, Took I-PAC Official's Phone: Sources

New Delhi: A routine Enforcement Directorate visit in Kolkata turned tense after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly intervened, blocked the proceedings, and seized a mobile phone belonging to an official linked to political consultancy firm I-PAC, sources said.

ED officers had reached a residence connected to an I-PAC functionary as part of an ongoing probe. The situation escalated quickly when the Chief Minister arrived at the spot, questioned the officers’ presence, and objected to the action being taken.

Why was the I-PAC official’s phone taken?

Sources claimed Mamata Banerjee personally took possession of the mobile phone of Pratik Jain, an I-PAC official, during the confrontation. The reason cited was concern over alleged unauthorised access to data and the legality of the raid itself.

The ED, however, maintains that the device was relevant to its investigation and that its seizure disrupted lawful proceedings.

Did the police threaten central officers?

Sources alleged that the West Bengal Director General of Police was present at the scene and warned ED officials of possible arrest if they continued with the operation. 

The DGP allegedly told the three ED officers that they should show no recovery from the raid, failing which they would be arrested and instructed the ED officials not to record anything in the panchnama.

State government officials have rejected the charge, insisting that the police acted to maintain law and order and prevent any procedural violation.

What is the political backdrop to the standoff?

The face-off comes amid rising tension between the Trinamool Congress government and central agencies. Mamata Banerjee has repeatedly accused the ED and CBI of acting with political motives, especially ahead of elections. The Centre, in turn, has denied any misuse of agencies.

I-PAC has played a key role in shaping TMC’s electoral strategy in recent years, making the involvement of one of its officials politically sensitive.

Why has the ED raid created a controversy?

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Prateek Jain's house and took away all the necessary documents containing crucial evidence. Mamata Banerjee also allegedly took away several electronic devices. The investigating agency raided the I-PAC office located in the Salt Lake area of Kolkata and then raided the house of the company's owner, Prateek Jain.

A statement issued by the ED said that the raids were conducted in connection with hawala transactions.

“This hawala money came through a coal smuggling syndicate. A large portion of this coal was sold to the Shakambhari Group of Companies. The investigation revealed that this scam is also linked to hawala operators. The hawala nexus has been confirmed by the testimonies of several witnesses,” the statement read.

“The investigation also revealed that a person involved in coal smuggling had transactions with I-PAC and had transferred several crore rupees to the company. A link between IPAC and this hawala nexus has been established. The agency says that raids were conducted today at 6 locations in West Bengal and 4 locations in Delhi,” the statement added.