The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided over 40 locations across West Bengal and Jharkhand on Friday, November 21, 2025, in connection with a money laundering probe linked to a large-scale coal theft and smuggling racket. Searches were carried out in 24 premises in West Bengal, including Kolkata, Howrah, and Purulia, and 18 locations in Jharkhand.
The ED raids were conducted in cases related to illegal coal mining, illegal transportation and storage of coal. The raids which began at 6 a.m. on Friday, resulted in the recovery of significant amounts of unaccounted cash and gold jewellery from the premises of coal mafia members. In addition to cash and gold, the ED also seized incriminating documents, digital records, and financial transaction files.
About 100 investigating officers of the ED conducted this search, who were accompanied by Armed Forces jawans.
Operation targeted coal mafia network
The operation targeted a coal mafia network involved in illegal mining, transportation, and storage, which has allegedly caused hundreds of crores of rupees in financial loss to the government. Approximately 100 ED officials, supported by central security forces, conducted the simultaneous searches that began early in the morning.
The premises of several individuals and entities were raided, including Narendra Kharka, Anil Goyal, Yudhistir Ghosh, Krishnamurari Kayal, and LB Singh in connection with illegal coal trading. During one raid in Jharkhand, coal trader LB Singh allegedly released his pet dogs to obstruct ED officials from entering his residence. However, the ED team managed to control the situation and continued the raid.
Incidentally, recently, a businessman named Narendra Kharka was summoned to Delhi in a coal smuggling case. He is once again under the scanner of investigators. Narendra Kharka’s name came into the limelight after the murder of coal businessman Raju Jha in Shaktigarh on April 1, 2023.
Meanwhile, the ED team raided 18 places in Ranchi. Searches are underway at about 40 places across Jharkhand. The names of businessmen Anil Goyal, Sanjay Uddhog, LB Singh and Amar Mandal have come up in the illegal coal business case. Raids are underway in all their properties. The ED estimates corruption worth hundreds of crores of rupees in this case.
Coal Ministry received complaints which prompted ED action
The probe has been initiated based on a CBI FIR, which has since been converted into an ED Case.
Sources said the ED had been monitoring suspected irregular transactions and coal contracts for the past seven to eight months. The agency is learned to have gathered substantial evidence of illegal earnings and unauthorized financial movements. Complaints received earlier by the Ministry of Coal reportedly prompted the initiation of this action.
Along with coal, the ED has also recently become active in the sand smuggling case. In September, the ED conducted a raid at the house of a person named Sheikh Jahirul Sheikh, a resident of Gopiballabhpur area of West Bengal’s Jhargram district. Based on the same case, searches were also conducted in North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts.
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