The Enforcement Directorate has searched six locations in West Bengal, including Cooch Behar and Siliguri, as part of a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged illegal betel nut trading, smuggling and GST evasion. The agency seized around Rs 1.3 crore in cash, along with documents, mobile phones and laptops, during simultaneous searches.
The operation was conducted across locations in West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram and Uttar Pradesh. The investigation was initiated by the ED’s Guwahati office after a complaint was lodged at a police station in Assam. Based on that complaint, the agency registered an Enforcement Case Information Report, or ECIR, and began examining financial transactions allegedly connected with the betel nut trade.
According to ED sources cited in the report, the agency suspects that a network of traders conducted betel nut business while allegedly evading GST. The investigation is also examining allegations that betel nuts were smuggled across the India-Myanmar border and that proceeds from the activity were later routed through multiple financial transactions.
In Cooch Behar, ED officials searched the residence of a businessman in Bakshirhat and his flat in Ward No. 4 of Cooch Behar. The agency is also examining the businessman’s alleged links with a betel nut trader based in Siliguri. Other locations associated with the trader were searched as part of the investigation.
In Siliguri, ED teams conducted simultaneous searches at several locations from Thursday morning. The searches brought two important trading centres in north Bengal into the investigation: Cooch Behar, which is close to India’s international border, and Siliguri, a major commercial junction connecting the Northeast with the rest of the country. The report, however, does not identify the businesses or individuals formally accused in the case.
The ED is now scrutinising the documents and electronic devices seized during the searches. Its examination will focus on the alleged flow of funds, links between traders and any possible money-laundering channels. The agency is also looking into whether suspected GST evasion and cross-border smuggling were connected to the movement of illicit funds.
The searches are part of an ongoing investigation, and the allegations have not been established by a court. The next steps will depend on the agency’s examination of the seized records and financial transactions.
