ED arrests I-PAC co-founder Vinesh Chandel in West Bengal coal scam case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday arrested Vinesh Chandel, a director and co-founder of political consultancy firm I-PAC, in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal, officials said.

Chandel was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Delhi, they said.

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The premises of Chandel in Delhi, apart from that of another I-PAC co-founder and director Rishi Raj Singh in Bengaluru and that of former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair in Mumbai, were raided by the ED on April 2.

The federal probe agency conducted raids in connection with the case on January 8 at the I-PAC office and the Kolkata residence of its founder and one of the directors, Pratik Jain, leading to a controversy after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at the said location along with state government officials.

The ED case stems from a November 2020 FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that has alleged a multi-crore-rupee coal-pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Limited mines in West Bengal's Kunustoria and Kajora areas, in and around Asansol.

The ED had said in a statement that a "hawala" operator linked to this alleged coal-smuggling ring had facilitated transactions of tens of crores of rupees to Indian PAC Consulting Private Limited, the registered company of I-PAC.