Bengal sand smuggling case: ED recovers Rs 64 lakh from trader's residence (Ld)

Kolkata, Sep 9 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 64 lakh during raids at the residence of a local businessman in connection with a case related to the alleged irregularities in sand mining and trading in West Bengal.

The businessman was identified as Sourav Roy, and the cash recovery was made from his residence at the Basantapur area in West Midnapore.

Roy's residence was one of the multiple locations in West Bengal, where ED officials conducted marathon raids and search operations one after another since early Monday morning.

According to sources, the wads of currency notes were hidden in different places at Roy's residence, including under the bed.

During the raid and search operations, Roy was not available at his residence.

When asked, Roy's family members could not give any satisfactory answers either on the source of such a huge cash or the purpose for which they were kept at home instead of being deposited at the bank.

The sources said that ED will send a notice of integration to Roy either today or on Wednesday, asking him to appear at the central agency's office at Salt Lake in Kolkata, where his statement will be recorded.

Besides cash, the investigating officials of ED also seized some incriminating documents from Roy's residence, which the investigating officials feel will lead to further clues in the case.

Roy had been associated with the sand business for a long time.

This is the first time that the ED officials have conducted any operations in West Bengal in relation to sand-smuggling rackets.

"As per the rules of sand mining in the state, the mining entities authorised to extract sand from the different rivers in the state are required to provide the registration numbers of their trucks to be used for carrying the extracted sand from the river to the concerned administrative authorities. The mining entities are also supposed to provide the administration details of the owners of the trucks that would be used for the purpose," said an official.

--IANS

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