Inside ‘Lala Pad’: How ₹20 notes and WhatsApp kept Bengal’s coal mafia running

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has provisionally attached assets worth ₹159.51 crore in connection with a large-scale illegal coal mining and pilferage racket in West Bengal. The action targets a syndicate allegedly led by Anup Majee, alias ‘Lala’, taking the total value of attached assets in the case to ₹482.22 crore.

How the racket operated
According to the ED, the operation relied on a well-organised network involving fake transport documents, a WhatsApp-based clearance system, and an underground hawala channel to move illicit funds.


Investigators found that illegally mined coal was supplied to select companies in West Bengal, which allegedly purchased it in cash. This helped conceal the proceeds of crime and present them as legitimate transactions.

At the centre of the operation was an illegal transport challan system known as the “Lala Pad”. These were fake tax invoices issued in the names of non-existent entities to facilitate the movement of illegal coal without scrutiny.

To ensure smooth transit, the syndicate used a unique identification method. With each fake challan, transporters were given a ₹10 or ₹20 currency note. They were instructed to photograph the note alongside the vehicle’s number plate and send the image to the syndicate operator.

The serial number of the currency note and the vehicle registration number served as matching identifiers. The operator would then circulate these images via WhatsApp to police personnel and other officials along the route, ensuring the vehicles were not stopped—or quickly released if intercepted.

The ED also uncovered a parallel hawala network used to transfer cash generated from the illegal trade. Funds were routed to intermediaries and beneficiaries, including alleged links to political figures and officials.

Transactions in the hawala chain were verified using the same identifier system—typically by matching the serial number of a currency note shared between sender and receiver—allowing cash handovers without any formal documentation.