Kolkata, April 11 (IANS) The ED filed a charge sheet against five accused in a Special Court (PMLA) in Kolkata over a Rs 650 crore racket involving illegal coal mining, theft, illegal coal transportation, illegal sale of coal, use of forged documents and extortion, an official said on Saturday.​

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Kolkata Zonal Office, named Chinmoy Mondal, Kiran Khan and their associates in the chargesheet filed on Thursday, the official said in a statement.​

The investigation also uncovered evidence of bribes being paid to various officials of the government of West Bengal and local political functionaries to facilitate the movement of coal and the continuation of the syndicate’s activities, the ED said.​

The ED initiated an investigation based on 54 FIRs registered by various police stations in the Durgapur–Asansol region of West Bengal, on complaints from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), CISF, and local police authorities.​

Investigation revealed that Chinmoy Mondal, Kiran Khan and their associates were part of an organised coal syndicate operating in the Durgapur-Asansol region and adjoining areas.​

Chinmoy Mondal and Kiran Khan were arrested under Section 19 of the PMLA on February 2, the ED said.​

The syndicate was involved not only in illegal coal-related activities, including dealing in coal procured through illegal means and illegally transported from Jharkhand into West Bengal, but also in systematic extortion of levies from valid D.O. (Delivery Order) holders, transporters, and coal purchasers, the ED said.​

Such illegal levy, commonly referred to as ‘GT,’ ‘Gunda Tax,’ or ‘Rangdari Tax,’ was collected to permit coal lifting and transportation and was disguised as lifting charges, handling charges or donations, the ED said.​

Investigation revealed that the extortion rates ranged from Rs 275 per tonne to Rs 1,500 per tonne, amounting to an exorbitant 20–25 per cent of the actual value of the auctioned coal, the ED said.​

Due to such illegal levies, a significant amount of allocated coal remained unlifted, causing substantial financial loss to ECL as well, it said.​

As of date, the Proceeds of Crime generated by this syndicate through such extortion alone over the last five years have been estimated at more than Rs 650 crore.​

During the investigation, searches under Section 17 of the PMLA were conducted on various dates at multiple premises linked to the accused persons and their associates, the statement said.​

During searches, various incriminating documents, digital devices, WhatsApp chats, records of coal lifting, levy collection sheets, bank account details and other material were recovered and seized, it said.​

The searches on November 21, 2025 and February 3, 2026, led to the seizure of cash, bank balances, and valuable amounts to approximately Rs17.57 crore, in addition to the huge physical stock of coal and coke from the premises of the accused persons and their accomplices, the ED said.​

Investigation revealed that the accused used a number of proprietorship concerns and companies as fronts for routing, layering, and projecting Proceeds of Crime as untainted, the statement said.​

An analysis of bank accounts revealed substantial cash deposits and large fund movements among closely connected persons and entities, it said.​

–IANS

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